'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