US embassy cable - 03JAKARTA3306

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 003306 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IZ, ID 
SUBJECT: TFIZ01: TEXT OF MEGAWATI'S STATEMENT CRITICAL OF 
U.S.MILITARY ACTION IN IRAQ 
 
REF: JAKARTA 3305 
 
INDONESIAN PRESIDENT MEGAWATI SOEKARNOPUTRI, FOLLOWING A 
MARCH 20 CABINET MEETING, ISSUED A STATEMENT ENTITLED 
"INDONESIA STRONGLY DEPLORES UNILATERAL ACTION AGAINST IRAQ" 
(REFTEL).  THE STATEMENT FOLLOWED TWO DAYS OF CALLS BY 
POLITICAL OPPONENTS, CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, AND MUSLIM 
ORGANIZATIONS FOR A STRONGER INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE 
TO ANTICIPATED AND NOW ON-GOING U.S.-LED MILITARY ACTION. 
THE PRESIDENT NOTED IN THE STATEMENT THAT "SYMPATHY (FOR THE 
IRAQI PEOPLE) SHOULD BE EXPRESSED IN A PEACEFUL AND 
DEMOCRATIC MANNER...A MANNER THAT SHOULD NOT UNDERMINE PUBLIC 
ORDER AND OUR NATIONAL STABILITY...."  THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE 
RELEASED THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEXT, REPEATED IN FULL BELOW. 
 
(BEGIN TEXT) 
 
INDONESIA STRONGLY DEPLORES UNILATERAL ACTION AGAINST IRAQ 
 
-- 1.  THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF INDONESIA STRONGLY 
DEPLORE THE UNILATERAL ACTION TAKEN BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ITS ALLIES THAT HAVE DECIDED TO 
GO TO WAR AGAINST IRAQ.  INDONESIA DEEPLY REGRETS THAT THE 
MULTILATERAL PROCESS THROUGH THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN 
SIDELINED.  INDONESIA IS OF THE VIEW THAT THE USE OF MILITARY 
FORCE AGAINST IRAQ BASED ON THE UNILATERAL DECISION 
CONSTITUTES AN ACT OF AGGRESSION WHICH IS IN CONTRAVENTION TO 
INTERNATIONAL LAW.  THIS UNILATERAL MILITARY ACTION HAS ALSO 
THREATENED THE WORLD ORDER. 
 
-- 2.  WAR WILL NOT ONLY FAIL TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT IT 
WILL ALSO CAUSE HUMANITARIAN TRAGEDY.  THE GOVERNMENT AND THE 
PEOPLE OF INDONESIA ARE GRAVELY CONCERNED OVER THE INNOCENT 
CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND THE IMMENSE MATERIAL LOSSES THAT MAY 
RESULT FROM THIS MILITARY ACTION.  THE WAR WILL BRING 
NEGATIVE ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL IMPACTS TO THE MIDDLE EAST 
REGION AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, INCLUDING INDONESIA. 
 
-- 3.  THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT, THROUGH ITS DIPLOMATIC 
EFFORTS BOTH BILATERALLY AND THROUGH INTERNATIONAL FORA SUCH 
AS ASEAN, THE NON ALIGNED MOVEMENT, THE ORGANIZATION OF 
ISLAMIC CONFERENCE, AND THE UNITED NATIONS, HAS CONSISTENTLY 
STRESSED THE NEED TO FIND A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE IRAQI 
CRISIS.  THESE EFFORTS HAVE EVEN BEEN STRENGTHENED BY PEACE 
MISSIONS OF THE INDONESIAN INTER-FAITH LEADERS TO SEVERAL 
COUNTRIES AS WELL AS BY THE REPEATED CALL FOR PEACE FROM ALL 
SEGMENTS OF THE INDONESIAN NATION.  THE GOVERNMENT HAS 
EARLIER ESTABLISHED "THE NATIONAL TEAM TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT 
OF THE IRAQI CRISIS" IN ORDER TO TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES 
FOR THE PROTECTION OF INDONESIAN NATIONALS IN THE MIDDLE EAST 
AS WELL AS TO ANTICIPATE NEGATIVE IMPACTS TOWARDS INDONESIA. 
 
-- 4.  THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA DEMANDS THE UNITED NATIONS 
SECURITY COUNCIL, WHICH HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAINTAIN 
INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY, TO IMMEDIATELY CONVENE IN 
AN EMERGENCY MEETING IN ORDER TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE 
UNITED STATES AND ITS ALLIES TO IMMEDIATELY STOP THE WAR AND 
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ITS 
ALLIES TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO OVERCOME THE HUMANITARIAN ASPECTS 
RESULTING FROM THE CONFLICT SITUATION.  SHOULD THE EFFORTS BY 
THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL COME TO A DEAD-LOCK, INDONESIA WILL 
URGE THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CONVENE IN AN EMERGENCY 
SESSION UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF THE "UNITING FOR PEACE" 
RESOLUTION. 
 
-- 5.  THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA EMPHASIZES THE NEED TO 
AVOID THE FURTHER DESTABILIZATION OF THE MIDDLE EAST REGION. 
THE INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT ALSO STRESSES THAT ANY SOLUTION TO 
THE QUESTION OF IRAQ SHOULD RESPECT THE TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY 
AND NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY OF IRAQ. 
 
-- 6.  THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA CALLS ON ALL INDONESIAN 
NATIONALS WITHIN THE VICINITY OF IRAQ TO REMAIN CALM AND 
REPORT TO THE NEAREST INDONESIAN MISSIONS FOR ANY NECESSARY 
ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION. 
 
-- 7.  THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA FULLY SHARES THE 
OUTPOURING OF ANTI-WAR CALLS AND SYMPATHY FROM THE INDONESIAN 
PEOPLE TOWARDS THE PLIGHT OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE.  SUCH SYMPATHY 
SHOULD BE EXPRESSED IN A PEACEFUL AND DEMOCRATIC MANNER AS IN 
A MANNER THAT SHOULD NOT UNDERMINE PUBLIC ORDER AND OUR 
NATIONAL STABILITY  --- AND BY MAINTAINING OUR NATIONAL UNITY 
AND INTEGRITY. 
 
JAKARTA, 20 MARCH 2003 
THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA 
MEGAWATI SOEKARNOPUTRI 
 
(END TEXT) 
 
 
BOYCE