Megawati receives Chargé d'Affaires of Iraqi Embassy to discuss Middle East geopolitics

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s fifth president and PDIP general chair, Megawati Soekarnoputri, received a visit from Ammar Hameed Saadallah Al-Khalidy, the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Iraqi Embassy to Indonesia, at her residence in Menteng, Jakarta, on Monday, to discuss the latest situation in the Middle East and efforts to strengthen relations between Indonesia and Iraq.

Beginning the discussion, Al-Khalidy recounted the historic visit of President Soekarno to Baghdad, Iraq, in 1961, which was warmly welcomed by Iraq’s then Prime Minister, Major General Abdel Karim Qassim.

“We still preserve the documentary film of that historic visit,” said Al-Khalidy in a written statement in Jakarta on Monday.

That visit was to strengthen diplomatic relations, affirm Indonesia’s position in supporting Palestinian independence, and solidify the solidarity of independent Third World leaders.

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Iraq were officially established in 1950. Iraq was one of the first countries to recognise Indonesia’s independence, with de jure recognition in 1947, and the Indonesian Embassy in Baghdad was subsequently opened on 27 March 1950 to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

“Relations between Indonesia and Iraq have entered their 76th year; we continue to hope they remain strong and warm. We also know of Mrs Megawati’s stance when she was president in rejecting the attack on Iraq in 2003,” said Al-Khalidy.

Regarding the current conflict in the Middle East, Al-Khalidy conveyed the official stance of the Iraqi government, which condemns the attacks by the United States (US) and Israel against Iran.

“Our government officially condemns the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, but also condemns Iran’s retaliatory attacks on its neighbouring countries. We reject this war; we uphold mechanisms of dialogue, negotiation, and peace,” Al-Khalidy emphasised.

Megawati Soekarnoputri assessed that the US and Israeli attacks on Iran constitute a violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, as they contradict the UN Charter, international law, and the Bandung Ten Principles.

On that occasion, Megawati also recounted her stance in rejecting the US attack on Iraq in 2003.

“I was friends with George W. Bush, the US President at the time, but our political stances differed; I rejected the US attack on Iraq in 2003 when I was still President of Indonesia,” said Megawati.

During the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York, Megawati also affirmed her rejection of terrorism but opposed linking terrorism to Islam.

“I was the first president to visit the US after the 11 September incident, meeting President Bush to express my sympathy and condemn terrorism, but I also conveyed my rejection of linking terrorism to Islamic teachings,” Megawati emphasised.

Megawati Soekarnoputri explained that she draws geopolitical knowledge from Bung Karno and recounted the Asian-African Conference in Bandung, which produced the Bandung Ten Principles as the precursor to the Non-Aligned Movement. Bung Karno’s speech “To Build the World Anew” at the United Nations General Assembly promoted Pancasila, anti-imperialism, and anti-colonialism, as well as UN reform.

The Chargé d’Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy responded that he had studied the outcomes of the Bandung Asian-African Conference during his time at the Faculty of Law, University of Baghdad, Iraq, and as a diplomat at the UN office, he also encountered themes of UN reform, particularly the Security Council.

“It turns out Bung Karno had already proposed ideas for UN reform in 1960 through his speech, long before discussions on UN reform became prominent from 1993 onwards,” said Al-Khalidy.

The meeting concluded with a group photo and the exchange of souvenirs. Megawati Soekarnoputri gave commemorative items including a book by Bung Karno on Pancasila in English edition, Bung Karno’s UN speech on “To Build the World Anew,” and a political biography of Megawati Soekarnoputri in Arabic, as well as a miniature of Borobudur Temple and an Endek woven shirt from Bali.

“I hope that if Your Excellency wears this shirt, you will always remember me and Indonesia,” said Megawati with a smile.

“Certainly, Your Excellency,” replied Al-Khalidy, also smiling.

The Chargé d’Affaires of the Iraqi Embassy gave a typical Iraqi painting depicting the classical architecture of the Al-Kadhimiya area in Baghdad, Iraq, and typical Baghdad sweets called “al-manna wa salwa.”

Since the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, many ambassadors from friendly countries have met with Megawati Soekarnoputri at her residence.

In the meeting, Megawati was accompanied by PDIP DPP Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto, PDIP DPP Chairman Eriko Sotarduga, Rokhmin Dahuri, and PDIP politician M. Guntur Romli.