Statement by before the Security Council New York, 21 July 2006
Let me commence my remarks by thanking you for convening this timely meeting. The escalating conflict in Lebanon and Palestine has brought the region once more into deep crisis, and taken their people to the edge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The Government and people of Indonesia are in full solidarity with the people and the Governments of Lebanon and Palestine. On an hourly basis on television, we are witnesses to the faces of hundreds of innocent civilians felt victims, many of them children, to the brutal Israeli military acts, and countless of civil infrastructure being destroyed. This collective punishment unfairly and unjustly makes hostages of all innocent Lebanese and Palestinians, and must be condemned. Yesterday, in his briefing to the Security Council, Secretary-General Kofi Annan also underlined this precarious situation, and proposed a package of concrete actions to defuse the conflict. My delegation wishes to express its thanks to the Secretary-General for his efforts so far, and for these recommendations, which we support. Mr. President, Israel’s military actions clearly constitute a flagrant violation of international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention, and other rules of humanitarian law. My delegation strongly condemns this, and urges the international community acts to immediately halt it. We urge a sense of urgency in this process given the dire humanitarian situation, and continuing loss of life of innocent civilians and destruction. In view of the scale of destruction and casualties resulting from Israel’s indiscriminate attacks and disproportionate use of force, it is difficult for my delegation to comprehend why the Council is still unable to respond quickly and effectively. In this connection, we join the call for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, and the establishment of an international peacekeeping force under UN auspices, to monitor and enforce it. This position has been emphasized at the highest level of the Indonesian government, and we strongly believe that the establishment of an effective and comprehensive ceasefire is also the most critical step towards speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance in the conflict areas. And we stand ready to participate in such an international peacekeeping force. We further observe that the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires at the end of this month. In view of recent developments, this is a timely opportunity to extend and reconfigure its mandate to respond to the complex situation, including providing security for the channeling of humanitarian assistance. We are pleased that the Secretary-General reflected this important aspect in his briefing yesterday. This is particularly important in view of the need for security not only for the entire people in the region, but also for humanitarian personnel who are putting their lives on the line. Another important aspect of this package
of solutions is the need for a post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation
programme for Lebanon and Palestine. As Prime Minister Siniora and
Secretary-General Annan have confirmed, Israel’s military campaign
has destroyed a lot of the infrastructure in both places. Consequently,
it is the position of the Indonesian government that this reconstruction
and rehabilitation must form part of the peacebuilding process in
the region. Indonesia further wishes to reiterate its commitment to peace in the Middle East, and the creation of a viable and sovereign Palestinian state as provided for in the Road Map. As suggested by the Secretary-General, the cessation of hostilities should be conducted not as an isolated objective but alongside efforts to revive the peace process towards achieving a just solution to the conflict in the Middle East, in accordance with the UN resolutions, the Road Map as well as the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002. In this regard, it is important to ensure that the Lebanese government extends its authority over all of its territories in the south Lebanon, and exercising its full sovereignty over it, and implement the 1949 armistice agreement. We call on the international community to take urgent steps to avert a wider humanitarian crisis and further bloodshed, while the path to peace is re-opened as soon as possible. We appeal to the Security Council - as the main organ responsible for ensuring peace and security - to take immediate measures to halt the atrocities and cycle of violence in the region. I thank you.
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