SBY Brings Israeli Attack up with Obama

Jakarta (News Today) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is to take up the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flitilla early on Monday at his meeting with President Barack Obama when the latter visits Jakarta later this month, a presidential spokesman said.

Presidential spokesman for international affairs Dino Patti Djalal said at a press conference at the presidential office here on Tuesday, President Yudhoyono wished to raise the issue in the meeting with US President Obama because he was very concerned about the prospects of the peace process in the Middle East which was now being revived through the proximity talks involving western countries.

"The problem will be one of the issues to be discussed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and President Obama," he said.

Dino said the Israeli attack on the convoy of ships bringing humanitarian aid supplies to Gaza with activists from 50 countries on board would be a factual issue for discussion with President Obama because in a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas here last week President Yudhoyono had discussed the US position in the peace process to be undertaken. He said the United Nations Security Council had already held an emergency meeting to discuss the incident and had also issued a statement condemning it.

"The UN Security Council has also asked for a direct investigation into the case," he said.

Dino said President Yudhoyono was quite satisfied with the UN’s statement and called for the immediate release of volunteers and aid ships now being held by Israel. He said the UN Human Rights Commission had also agreed to hold an urgent debate to discuss the Israeli raid on the aid ships convoy.

"Indonesia represented by its UN ambassador in Geneva has pushed for the debate, supported by Egypt and members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)," he said.

The debate scheduled to be held at 3pm local time in Geneva on Tuesday is expected to push the issuance of a resolution from the UN Human Rights Commission.

"It happens rarely that countries in many corners of the world issue calls with the same message," he said.

At a meeting between ASEAN and the Gulf Countries Cooporation (GCC) attended by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, ASEAN and Gulf countries had also issued a joint statement condemning the Israeli action, Dino said.

Source : kompas.com

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