NAM calls on UNSC to convene emergency meeting
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia's formal request for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has received a major boost from Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries.
"NAM countries have submitted the request for the UNSC to convene an emergency meeting as part of their responsibility to maintain world order," Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said on Tuesday.
"The action proves that our call for such a meeting has received major support from the international community to seek a quick solution to end the war."
Meanwhile, Indonesia's religious leaders drafted a letter on Tuesday urging UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to hold an emergency meeting of the UNSC or the General Assembly as soon as possible.
"We would like to urge you to hold an emergency meeting of the Security Council or the General Assembly of the United nations as soon as possible in order to stop the U.S.-led invasion and to help all the victims of this human tragedy," the religious leaders said in the draft, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post.
The Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI) sent a similar letter to Annan on Monday.
From New York, Antara reported that the emergency meeting of the UNSC was likely to take place on Wednesday.
The schedule was approved after Indonesia's interim permanent representative in New York Mochamad Slamet Hidayat received a green light from France, China and Russia, three permanent members of the UNSC that opposed the invasion of Iraq.
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has stated the country's opposition to the current war in Iraq, and called for the UNSC emergency meeting to discuss the matter.
Analysts have warned that should the UN standby and let the war continue it would set a bad precedent for major countries to attack other sovereign nations.
Currently there are six NAM-member countries who are also non- permanent members of the UNSC -- Angola, Guinea, Syria, Pakistan, Chile and Cameroon -- who can push for the emergency meeting.
However, the results of the meeting are unlikely to go against the strikes as the U.S. and Britain are two of the five permanent members of the council who have veto rights.
Hassan said Tuesday that Indonesia was also seeking other alternative diplomatic approaches.
He said the emergency session of the General Assembly under the "uniting for peace" resolution 377 could be called with the support of 50 percent plus one of the UN member countries.
The 116-NAM member countries represent two thirds of the 189- UN member countries, the minister said.
Similar action has been taken ten times since 1950, with the first precedent during the Korean war in 1951.
Muslim-based Justice and Welfare Party Chairman Hidayat Nurwahid applauded the government's move to push for the emergency meeting, saying it was accommodating the Indonesian people's anti-war aspirations.
He further said that the party would send humanitarian volunteers to assist Iraqi refugees.
"This is not a jihad activity, we are sending humanitarian workers; they will not join the war," Hidayat said, adding that the first person to go would be party treasurer Lutfi Hassan Ishak.