Muslim figures convey RI's Iraq view to Howard

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Muslim intellectuals conveyed on Saturday to visiting Australian Prime Minister John Howard the Indonesian people's strong rejection of the planned use of military force to disarm Iraq.

During their meeting with Howard here on Saturday, the Muslim intellectuals warned that Australian support for the United States and Britain to attack Iraq would strain bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Our stance is clear that we oppose the possible war on Iraq because it will certainly bring a major humanitarian tragedy to the Iraqi people. We believe there is a peaceful solution to end the Iraq crisis," Andi Djamaro of the largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) said.

Australia has deployed some 2,000 military personnel to support the U.S. force to make preparations for their attack on Baghdad.

Azyumardi Azra, rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Academy of Islamic Studies (IAIN) in Ciputat, South Jakarta, said that there would be further consequences to the two countries' bilateral ties following the antiwar rallies that were also staged in protest of Australia's participation in the war on Iraq.

Hundreds of health workers staged an antiwar demonstration in front of the Australian Embassy in Kuningan, South Jakarta to greet Howard. The demonstration was also held to join the global move on Friday to oppose the U.S.' planned attack on Iraq.

Jakarta has seen a wave of rallies over the last three weeks, opposing the United States' possible attack on Iraq.

Religious leaders shunned the scheduled meeting with Howard and instead brought the Indonesian people's aspirations to the Australian people. An Indonesian delegation led by NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi is currently in Australia to convey their opposition directly to the Australian people. On Monday, Nurcholish Madjid will lead another religious delegation to bring the same mission to the European Union.

Nurcholish and Solahuddin Wahid, the deputy chairman of NU, were in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, to attend a dialog with the province's local figures on the nation's future while Syafi'i Maarif was in Yogyakarta.

Former foreign minister Alwi Shihab suggested that France, Germany and Russia which are opposed to the planned attack on Iraq bring a diplomatic mission to Iraq to persuade Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down and appoint his successor after disarmament by the UN inspection team.

"They could ask Saddam to pick a new leader for Iraq and leave the presidential seat as a hero to avert war for the sake of humanity," Alwi said.

Howard met with the Muslim intellectuals after holding official talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the State Palace. During the meeting the two heads of state also discussed the Iraq crisis and Megawati also conveyed the Indonesian people's opposition to war on Iraq to her Australian counterpart.

Playing down the conflicting stance of the two countries, Megawati said in a joint press conference after the meeting that both countries hoped for a peaceful solution for Iraq through the United Nations.

Howard, however, defended his government's stance on the Iraq crisis, warning that Saddam, who was closely linked to global terrorism, could give weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups.

"I explained Australia's concern about the spread of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and my real concern that these weapons might find their way into the hands of terrorists," he said in the joint press conference.

"Our concern about Iraq is a concern based on Iraq's behavior as an individual nation and those who seek to depict our approach as in any way anti-Islamic are not telling the truth," he said.

Indonesia has repeatedly expressed its objection to the planned attack to Washington, London and Canberra. It has said that it would support any actions to disarm Iraq with UN approval.

At the press conference Howard also thanked the Indonesian government and people for their great cooperation in the investigation into the Bali bombing.

"I came here to personally thank Madam President, the national police and other officials for a clearly impressive, professional and effective investigation that has been carried out," he said.

Howard also announced that the Australian government would provide US$6.2 million in financial aid for Sanglah Hospital in Bali. The hospital treated most of those injured in the blast on Oct. 12.

Howard made his seventh visit here as part of his Washington and London journey on the Iraq issue, expressing the Australian government's good intentions to avoid possible strained ties should war break out in Iraq.