RI mourns death of Mello, urges UN to continue mission
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesia strongly condemned the attack on the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Baghdad, in which 20 people were killed, including special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello, with whom Jakarta once shared close ties.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Jakarta said the attack should not deter the UN from its central role in post-war Iraq.
"The government of Indonesia condemns in the strongest possible manner the shocking and dastardly terrorist bomb attacks against the United Nations compound in Baghdad," the foreign ministry statement said.
"As a country which has also fallen victim to acts of terror, Indonesia recognizes the importance of not succumbing to the dictates of terror," it read.
Jakarta also suggested that the coalition administration in Iraq guarantee the safety of all UN officials in Iraq.
The UN headquarters in Baghdad was attacked by a car bomb on Tuesday, the same day that the United States claimed to have arrested former Iraqi vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan.
The blast, believed to be a suicide bomb, added to the series of attacks in Iraq that ensued after the U.S. ended the regime of Saddam Hussein four-and-a-half months ago.
However, this is the first time the UN was targeted.
Indonesia also expressed its deepest condolences on the death of de Mello, a Brazilian diplomat who once served with the UN transitional administration in Indonesia's former province of East Timor (UNTAET) between 1999 and 2002.
He was appointed the UN Human Rights High Commission chief in September last year, but left his post for Iraq in May.
"We deeply mourn his death, and we express our deepest condolences to the UN Secretary-General and the families of all the victims," the statement said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said that he remembered de Mello as an excellent international civil servant, who had contributed good deeds around the world.
Speaking from Canberra during a telephone interview for bilateral and tripartite meetings with East Timor, Hassan said he recalled de Mello as a good friend, as they had known each other since 1989.
"He is an excellent officer and was to become one of the candidates for the post of UN secretary-general," Hassan told Kompas and The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
"Our personal relationship created a better understanding between both sides in settling the separation issues and establishing a strong foundation for cordial relations between Indonesia and East Timor," Hassan said.
The Brazilian Embassy in Jakarta flew its national flag at half-mast on Wednesday to pay homage to de Mello.