Iran supports Indonesia's stance on U.S. raids
Iran supports Indonesia's stance on U.S. raids
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi supported Indonesia in
urging a halt to the United States' strikes against Afghanistan
during the fasting month, saying that continuing the attacks
during the Muslim holy month would only increase support for
Osama bin Laden.
Kharazi met his counterpart Hassan Wirayuda in Jakarta on
Wednesday and discussed the issues of Afghanistan and illegal
migrants.
"Ramadhan (the fasting month) is a holy month and the
continuation of the strikes would ... be counter-productive,"
Kharazi told a press conference at the end of his one-day visit
here.
"Those whom the U.S. says are behind the September 11 attacks
would not only not be punished but would gain support from public
opinion," he said.
The minister said that Indonesia's call for a halt to the
bombings during Ramadhan was indeed the demand of the Islamic
world.
He further said that Indonesia and Iran shared a similar view,
namely that combating terrorism through air raids would only harm
innocent people and not solve the problem.
Hassan, speaking to journalists after the meeting, said that
the two countries shared a common concern over the Afghanistan
issue, and repeated the appeal for the strikes to end in the run-
up to the holy month.
The two ministers also held detailed discussions on the issue
of illegal migrants as Iranian citizens were sometimes involved.
Kharazi described Iranian citizens who passed through
Indonesia as economic migrants as they were only looking for a
better life in foreign countries.
"We think that one solution would be to give an opportunity to
people looking for jobs to spend time in other countries ... and
then to return to Iran," he said.
Kharazi also met with several Indonesian officials, including
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, but failed to
meet President Megawati Soekarnoputri due to the latter's tight
schedule.
Kharazi, who had arrived from Malaysia, left for Japan on
Wednesday evening.