President Yudhoyono: Indonesia and Turkey can be partners in Mideast conflict

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

The Jakarta Post

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ended a trip to Turkey last week with a vow to forge closer ties with Ankara on solving international problems, such as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In a speech to the Turkish Parlia-ment delivered last Tuesday, Yudhoyono touched on Israels recent attack of a Turkish ship bound for Gaza on a humanitarian mission, which killed 11 Turks and wounded two Indonesians.

"It is true that the number of conflicts in the world has diminished, but there are still too many. Most pressing is the conflict in Palestine, which has led to a humanitarian tragedy. This is a powder keg that can explode any time and engulf the region in bloody conflict," he said. Indonesia staunchly supports the Palestinians and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Yudhoyono did not specify a form for potential bilateral cooperation, but experts agreed that there is great prospect for the countries joint diplomatic efforts. Ahmad Jainuri, rector of Muhammadiyah University in Sidoarjo, said Turkey had diplomatic relations with Israel and it could bridge communication with Israel, while Indonesia could focus on confi-dence-building measures with the Palestinian people.

"Indonesia is close with Palestine and we have their trust, and Turkey has a long relationship with Israel." Jainuri, however, added that strains in bilateral ties between Turkey and Israel in the aftermath of the attack on the humanitarian flo-tilla could make the situation more difficult.

Turkey recalled its ambassador after the Israeli attack on the Turkish vessel. "Politically speaking, it is a good gesture that has been proposed by Yudhoyono, but I do not know how it can help much. We know that the US is the key player in the negotiations. As long as the US does not want to allow a role for Indonesia or Turkey, any initiatives we propose will encounter difficulties," he said.

The recent proposed Bipartite agreement between Iran, Turkey and Brazil on Irans nuclear energy program is a good example, he said. The US killed the proposal and called for more sanctions against Tehran, Jainuri added. Kemal Azis Stamboel, chairman for Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs at the House of Representatives, said the government has made a "significant" proposal and legislators would follow up with the government on its plan to cooperate with Ankara.

"We think this is a very significant step in our partnership," he said. In his speech, Yudhoyono identified five areas where the partnership between Turkey and Indonesia could be expanded, including reforming the world economy, advancing harmony among civilizations, promoting democracy, resolving conflicts and dealing with other pressing global issues.

"Turkey serves as a bridge between Asia, particularly the Middle East and Europe, and between the West and the world of Islam. It enjoys the best of both worlds," Yudhoyono said. "On the other hand, Indonesia is now the worlds third largest democracy and the country with the largest Muslim population. We are the largest nation with the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Our democracy is stable, vibrant and dynamic. Our people adhere to pluralism and practice tolerance, and our nation is more united than ever."