Jakarta Globe, Primus Dorimulu, September 9, 2013
St.
Petersburg, Russia. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has written letters to
US President Barack Obama and four other leaders of the UN Security Council in
an attempt to persuade them not to attack Syria.
In
addition, the president has also written a letter to UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon.
“There are
peaceful ways of addressing this conflict if the UN Security Council announces
a cease fire,” Yudhoyono told journalists before leaving Russia late on
Saturday. He arrived in Jakarta on Sunday after a three-country visit,
culminating in Russia for the Group of 20 summit.
Yudhoyono
said a vote by the UN Security Council would have a major impact on the
situation, especially if it called for a ceasefire. “That’s why I wrote the
letters,” Yudhoyono said. “President Obama and the US government can reconsider
their decision There are other ways of dealing with this conflict besides war,”
he added.
US
officials have said that it had enough evidence Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad ordered a chemical-weapon attack last month that killed more than
1,400 of his people.
Obama
subsequently said he had decided the United States should take punitive action
but wanted support from Congress, which may vote on the issue soon. With the
exception of France, no other country has supported the US plan for a military
strike.
During the
G-20 summit many countries, including the European Union, affirmed they would
await the UN Security Council vote before deciding on their course of action.
Russia and
China, two permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto powers, have
voiced rejection and may block any attack on behalf of the UN. Yudhoyono said
Indonesia would never agree on the use of force against Syria without a UN
mandate.
While
Indonesia was far from the Middle East and seemed to have nothing to do with
the issue, he said, “We have a moral and constitutional obligation to prevent
wars. On behalf of humanity and good intention, we must be active in resolving
the issue peacefully.”
He
dismissed suggestions that Indonesia could significantly influence US policy
decisions with regard to the conflict.
Other world
leaders have reacted to the issue in recent days. British Prime Minister David
Cameron said he was convinced the US would be able to build a coalition for
action although Britain will not take part in the military action following
last week’s vote in parliament. Russian President Vladimir stated recently he
will not exclude supporting a UN resolution if it is proved that the Syrian
regime used poison gas.
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