'Perez will not come to RI'

'Perez will not come to RI'

JAKARTA: Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid said on Friday that Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Perez would not come to Indonesia because of the security situation in the Middle East.

"It is impossible for Shimon Perez to come here because of the unfavorable situation there (Israel)," Abdurrahman said in Jakarta.

Abdurrahman is a member of the Shimon Perez Foundation, which promotes peace across the world.

Perez was invited by the youth group of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization to speak at a seminar. Titled "NU: Grand Design Between Cultural and Global Interests", the seminar is scheduled for Saturday.

The Israeli minister had confirmed his presence at the seminar, which also will be attended by Abdurrahman, the former NU chairman.

The invitation extended to Perez has drawn protests from Muslim hard-liners, including the Indonesian Committee for the Solidarity of the Islamic World and the Justice Party.

Responding to the protests, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi told the chairman of the NU youth group, Maksum Zuber, not to use the Nahdlatul Ulama name for his activities.

A visit by Perez would not bring any benefits, but would only spark controversy, he added. -- Antara