Indonesia reprises commitment to help end Iraq sanctions

Indonesia reprises commitment to help end Iraq sanctions

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto yesterday reiterated his
recent commitment to help end United Nations economic sanctions
that have beleaguered Iraq for the past four-years when he
received a delegation of the Iraqi parliament.

"President Soeharto...as a friend and chairman of the Non-
Aligned Movement (NAM) has promised to do all that he possibly
can," said Sa'di Mahdi the head of the four-person delegation
after meeting the President at Merdeka palace.

Yesterday's meeting came on the heels of Iraqi Foreign
Minister Mohammad Said al-Sahaf's visit here, who less then three
days ago, as special envoy to Saddam Hussein, conveyed a similar
message to help end the economic sanctions imposed during the
1991 Gulf war.

To al-Sahaf, President Soeharto pledged Indonesia and NAM's
support.

Speaker of the House of Representatives Wahono who was also
present at yesterday's meeting echoed Soeharto's response saying
that Indonesia has responded positively to Iraq's request.

According to Wahono, during the less then one hour meeting,
Soeharto explained that the efforts to stop the sanctions would
be done through the NAM caucus at the U.N. Security Council and
the NAM Bureau in New York.

The NAM caucus consist of member states who also hold a non-
permanent seat at the Security Council -- Algeria, Djibouti,
Pakistan, Rwanda and Oman.

Apart from the efforts conducted at the U.N., Wahono also
signaled a direct approach involving the country which he
perceived as primarily responsible for the continued
implementation of the sanctions.

"Since the embargo concerns the interest of certain nations on
the Security Council among them the United States, we will then
promptly try to conduct talks with President Clinton," he said.

Mahdi stated that his country has fulfilled all the demands
stipulated within the U.N. resolution but still it has not been
lifted.

"The prolonged implementation of sanctions have gone beyond
the boundaries humanity," he said describing the adverse effects
of the embargo on the Iraqi people.(07)