RI says attack on Iraq an act of aggression
RI says attack on Iraq an act of aggression
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
Indonesia joined the worldwide uproar against the United States'
unilateral attack on Iraq on Thursday, and called for an
immediate end to the war.
Branding the U.S. move an act of aggression, Indonesia urged
the United Nations to call an emergency meeting to force the U.S.
to stop the war as soon as possible.
At a rare press briefing which was attended by Cabinet senior
members, President Megawati Soekarnoputri also appealed to people
to express their sympathy for the Iraqi in an orderly manner for
the sake of national stability.
"The government and people of Indonesia strongly deplore the
unilateral action taken by the government of the United States of
America and its allies, who have decided to go to war against
Iraq. Indonesian deeply regrets that the multilateral process
through the UN Security Council has been sidelined.
"Indonesia is of the view that the use of military force
against Iraq based on a unilateral decision constitutes an act of
aggression, which is in contravention to international law. This
unilateral military action has also threatened the world order,"
the President said.
For the first time ever, Megawati personally addressed the
Iraq issue during a media conference, instead of assigning the
task to her aides.
Vice President Hamzah Haz, a noted Muslim leader, along with
all three coordinating ministers -- Coordinating Minister for
Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-
Jakti, and Coordinating Minister for Peoples' Welfare Jusuf Kalla
-- stood by her side during the briefing.
The government's stance echoed public resentment here, with
inter-faith leaders, political parties and other community
leaders having publicly opposed the attack.
Originally, the President's statement, which was prepared by
the foreign ministry, was to use the word "condemn" in reference
to the unilateral attack on Iraq, but was changed to "deplore"
during the Cabinet meeting pending further development, a source
told The Jakarta Post.
It took the Cabinet three hours to discuss the economic
impacts of the war on Indonesia.
Indonesia's strong remarks can be understood as the context of
the war in Iraq now differs from the war 12 years ago, when
Washington attacked Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait.
The President's comment was welcomed by an analyst and
legislators, who said it was a good move to stand up and address
the issue directly.
"It sends a clear message to the United States that we do not
understand their use of force, and it is stern enough to explain
our stance to the domestic constituent," analyst Juwono Sudarsono
said.
A similar view was also expressed by legislator Pramono Anung
from the country's largest party the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), who said that the statement may
have prevented the president's opponents to use the war against
her administration.
"We urged the President to continue taking the lead in
responding the issue to minimize any possibility that the issue
could be used as means to challenge her leadership," said
legislator Ibrahim Ambong, a staunch critic of Megawati from the
Golkar Party, the second largest party in the country.
Meanwhile, National Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar ordered on
Thursday his subordinates to heighten protection measures for
foreigners and foreign interests in the country.
Sr. Comr. Zainuri Lubis, police spokesman, told reporters that
the operation would be in effect indefinitely.
"This won't be like an ordinary police operation," he said.
During the operation, Zainuri said, police would not only
monitor foreign offices and embassies, but also the residences of
foreigners.
The police have beefed up security in locations where
foreigners are concentrated, particularly in Jakarta, Yogyakarta,
Medan, Surabaya and on the island of Bali.