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