RI seeks UN Council membership

RI seeks UN Council membership

JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri proposed on Monday that
Indonesia become a nonpermanent member of the United Nations
Security Council representing Asia for the 2007-2008 membership.

Addressing a joint media conference with visiting Namibian
President Sam Nujoma here, Megawati said there was a vacant seat
at the council and Indonesia would seek support to be nominated
to fill it.

"There is one thing that we agreed upon in the bilateral
talks: that we have secured support from Namibia for Indonesia to
be a Security Council member for the 2007-2008 period," Megawati
said.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia had a long list of
achievements in the international fora and it would be
appropriate to propose that it become a council member.

Indonesia has twice been a nonpermanent member of the Security
Council and once secured the position as chairman of the Security
Council during Adam Malik's tenure as Indonesian minister of
foreign affairs in the 1960s.--JP