RI calls on U.S., allies, to change mind on Iraq

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Amid rising tension in the Middle East, the Indonesian government called on the United States and its allies to listen to the global opposition to a war on Iraq as besides infringing Iraqi sovereignty, an attack would bring untold suffering to the people of that country.

At the same time, hundreds of people in Surabaya, East Java, and Yogyakarta staged rallies to voice their opposition to a possible war in Iraq.

Vice President Hamzah Haz said a military operation against Iraq would certainly cause suffering not only to the Iraqi people but also to millions of others in the region, and would solve no problems.

"The suffering from a war in Iraq will go beyond Iraq's border, and will affect the world economy. This is why we are continuing to approach the U.S. government to urge it to change its mind on Iraq," Hamzah said.

The tension has been mounting as U.S. President George W. Bush gave Iraq another day to destroy its weapons of mass destruction after Iraq went beyond the March 17 deadline.

Besides global antiwar protests, most countries, including France, Germany and Russia, oppose a possible war to disarm Iraq, saying the crisis should be solved peacefully.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono concurred with the Vice President's view, saying that a war would certainly upset the world order.

After accompanying President Megawati Soekarnoputri when receiving Iranian special envoy Ali Akbar Velayati, Susilo said that the United Nations weapons inspection team should be given more time to do its job.

"An attack by one nation on another sovereign nation will set a bad precedent for international relations and will disrupt the world order," the top security minister remarked.

The Iranian special envoy, Ali Akbar Velayati, said after the meeting that his mission was not aimed at supporting the Iraqi government but at avoiding a humanitarian tragedy in the neighboring country.

"This is not a mission for the government of Iraq ... Iran and Indonesia are against any kind of unilateralism in solving international problems," Velayati remarked.

In Surabaya, some 100 community leaders issued an antiwar statement urging the U.S. not to launch an attack on Iraq.

"A U.S. attack against Iraq will be an attack against the sovereignty of another nation, and will violate the principles of justice and humanity," the statement said.

After the statement was read out, the protesters handed in a copy to the U.S. Consul General, Philip Antweiler, at the consulate.

In Yogyakarta, hundreds of local students, as well as some from abroad, staged a peaceful rally to condemn any attack on Iraq.

Led by Muslim and Christian preachers, the protesters, many of whom carried candles, prayed for world peace.

"War will only lead to human misery, losses and pain. Thousands, even millions, of lives are being put at risk just to serve the interests of a small number of persons. Thus, the U.S. plan to attack Iraq has to be stopped, rejected, and fought against," the protesters said in a statement.