INDONESIA READY TO PLAY ACTIVE ROLE IN SYRIAN PEACE PROCESS by Fardah

    Jakarta, Jan 23, 2014 (Antara) - Since the beginning of armed conflict in Syria, Indonesia has been calling for a compromise and negotiations between the conflicting parties, arguing that the use of force will only bring sufferings to the people.

        At the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa is now in Switzerland to attend the Geneva II Conference on Syria. He will reiterate the Indonesian government's call for a peaceful solution to the prolonged civil war.

        Before leaving for Geneva on January 21, Minister Marty Natalegawa said in the conference he would emphasize seeking a solution to the Syrian conflict through diplomatic means and the importance of all sides involved in the conflict observing an immediate truce.

        President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) on his Twitter account on Thursday (Jan 23) said Indonesia is ready to send a peace keeping mission to Syria once the conflicting parties agree on a truce.

        "We would like to see an end to the tragedy faced by our brothers and sisters in Syria. There should be no more casualties,"  the head of state tweeted.  He wrote that Indonesia stressed on three points - a truce, humanitarian assistance and peaceful political process.    
   The bloody conflict in Syria has left more than 120,000 people dead and driven 9.5 million others from their homes.  Some 6.5 million people are now displaced inside Syria. More than 2.3 million have registered as refugees outside Syria, with many living in camps across the region which are barely coping. There are reports of starvation in towns cut off by fighting.

        As the world's largest Muslim populous nation, Indonesia is one of some 30 countries invited to the peace talks. In the Asia-Pacific region, only four nations have been invited to the conference, namely India, Japan, China and Indonesia.

        "I received a letter from the UN Secretary General on January 6 inviting Indonesia to participate in the conference," Marty Natalegawa explained.

        The conference, originally scheduled to take place in Geneva, will now be held in two parts, with the opening session in Montreux, on January 22, and, after a day's break, moving on January 24 to the world body's headquarters in Geneva.

        The Syrian Government and the opposition are expected to sit a negotiating table for the first time in the conference, since the conflict began in March 2011.

        The first part of the conference, in Montreux, will be chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and attended by delegations of all invited countries, which will have an opportunity to express their views.

        The second part in Geneva will be chaired by Joint Special Representative of the UN and the League of Arab States for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and be restricted only to delegations of the Syrian Government and the opposition.

        However, the UN Secretary General mentioned that there is a possibility that Indonesia would be requested to help negotiations between the two Syrian delegations in Geneva.

        If asked to help with negotiations, Indonesia would emphasize that all parties involved in the conflict must strive for a comprehensive solution that reflects the Syrian people's wishes, Marty Natalegawa said.

       According to the minister, over the past two years, the armed conflict in Syria  has demonstrated that the mobilization of power and violence only brings suffering.

         In the Montreux meeting, Indonesia will stress the need for a comprehensive political solution through diplomatic means.

         Indonesia also believes that a truce is necessary for the implementation of humanitarian aid and the beginning of a political process, the minister stated.

         Speaking at the second International Conference for Humanitarian Assistance to Syria in Kuwait recently, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that half of Syria's population, some 9.3 million people, are in urgent need of aid. The meeting aimed to raise $6.5bn (£4bn)  for Syria, and it had secured $2.4bn in pledges.

          Indonesian Ambassador to Kuwait Ferry Adamhar said Indonesia's assistance to Syria was estimated at US$500 thousand, the same as that of last year.

          "The aid for Syria from Indonesia is estimated at US$500 thousand but we are still awaiting the confirmation of the amount from Jakarta. Last year, it was US$500 thousand, too," the ambassador stated.

         During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bali, October 2013, some leaders of APEC member economies also held informal discussions on civil war-torn Syria. 
    "The Russian President expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's stand on the Syrian crisis," Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said, following a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Yudhoyono on the sidelines of the Bali meeting.

        Indonesia and Russia have shared similar views on the Syrian issue, as the two countries emphasized using diplomatic means to deal with the problem in the Middle Eastern state.     
    President Yudhoyono, in his September 2013 speech during the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, stated that diplomacy should be given a chance in trying to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis.    
   Yudhoyono added that Indonesia will not remain silent in responding to the Syrian conflict. He met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg to convey his views on Syria.

        Indonesia has been trying to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Syrian conflict and to prevent the use of military force in the Arab country. ***1***
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