TEMPO, Tuesday, 16 January, 2007 | 15:07 WIB
Indonesia's Abstention Regretted
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The Chairman of ASEAN (Association of S! outheast
Asian Nations) Inter Parliamentary on Myanmar Caucus, Djoko Susilo, conveyed his
disappointment on the abstention of attitude of Indonesia's delegation during the
United Nations Security Council's session discussing the resolution for Myanmar,
Friday (12/1). "As a country which respects human rights, Indonesia shouldn't have
abstained," said the member of the House Commission for Foreign Affairs , yesterday
(15/1).
He said this means Indonesia does not appreciate the nation's goal. "If it does, this
can change Indonesia's image in the international world," he said. The Foreign Affairs
Commission, he said, will urge the Foreign Affairs Department to cover the impact of
the abstention.
A similar opinion was held by another Foreign Affairs Commission member, Marzuki
Darusman. Indonesia's neutral position is wrong.
In response to the matter, spokesperson, concurrently Director of International
Security and Disarmament at the Foreign Affairs Department, Desra Percaya, said
that Indonesia's neutral attitude was because Indonesia regarded Myanmar's situation
as not strong enough to make the country a threat against world peace and security.
Thus, Indonesia decided to abstain from the vote to the draft resolution proposed by
the UN Security Council. "The background of this decision is substantial, procedural
and effective," he said.
Those reasons, said Desra, have been included in Indonesia's letter addressed to UN
Security Council's President, Friday. The letter which was signed by Indonesia's
Permanent Ambassador for the UN, Reslan Izhar Jenie, stated that procedurally, the
Myanmar issue must be discussed by the UN Human Rights Council.
Substantially, what happened in Myanmar is more of upholding human righ! ts and
democracy, not the world's security or a peace threat. "Indonesia also questions the
resolution's effectiveness," said Desra. Eko AW and Titis S
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