Indonesia cautious on Iraq request on partner team
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia has taken a cautious stance over an Iraqi request to participate in a proposed independent team to work along with the United Nations arms inspectors, who are scheduled to enter Iraq in the coming weeks.
Saddam Hussein's special envoy, Humam Abdulkhaleg Abdul Ghafoor, on Wednesday met with President Megawati Soekarnoputri to ask Indonesia's participation in the proposed team, but Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said the government has not given any commitment.
Speaking to journalists after accompanying Megawati at the meeting, Hassan said that Indonesia would like to find further details on the proposed team before making a decision.
"Iraq hopes to set up a partner team to observe the work of the UN inspectors to ensure the transparency of the inspection process. They consider it is important that Indonesia take part in that team," Hassan said.
"We said that we would like to know the mandate and details of the team," he cited, adding that Indonesia cannot immediately say whether to accept or deny the request.
When asked whether such a request indicated Iraq's doubt over the independence of the UN arms inspector team, Hassan said: "It is possible. That's why we need to have further details."
He said what he knew now was that the proposed team would consist of respected individuals.
"They said that the idea to establish such a team came from friends of Iraq, and did not come from Baghdad," Hassan told journalists.
Meanwhile, Iraqi special envoy Ghafoor said he presented to Megawati a letter from Saddam Hussein.
"The letter dealt with the relation with the UN security council and the relation with the United States," Ghafoor said after the meeting.
He said that the UN inspectors would see that Iraq had been free from weapons of mass destruction and therefore, there was no reason for the UN to maintain sanctions against his country.
The special envoy's visit came in the wake of the U.S. refusal for the UN to send its team of inspectors to Iraq before the UN Security Council adopted a much tougher resolution on Iraq.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, remains aloof in the Iraq issue, maintaining its stance that there should be no unilateral action from any country, including the United States, against Iraq and all solutions should be pursued through the UN.
Hassan said that Indonesia would support the dispatch of the UN inspection team, but underlined that Iraq deserves for a fair treatment and the respect for its sovereignty and dignity.