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Statement by New York, 16 October 2002 Mr. President, The delegation of Indonesia is pleased to see you in the chair of the Security Council for the month of October. We are appreciative that under your presidency, the current emergency debate on the situation in Iraq has been convened upon the initiative of the Non-Aligned Movement. In the context of increasing transparency in the Council, we welcome the participation of non members today as the debate on Iraq is important not only as subject matter but also its timing. Holding the debate at a time that the Council is considering a possible new resolution enables non-Council members to make an input into the policy-making of this body. In this way, the collective wisdom and support of the entire membership can be tapped for any decision by the Council on this very important subject. This point is important because it is at the heart of our best hopes concerning the authority of the Council. Mr. President, The Council should remain engaged in any solution on Iraq. On this question, Indonesia is of the view that diplomatic efforts must be exhausted before taking any other measures. At the moment the door has been opened to diplomatic activity and the Security Council should take full advantage of it. In this connection, we call on the Security Council to continue to seek a peaceful resolution. Indonesia does not believe that anyone prefers conflict to peace. Towards the achievement of a peaceful resolution therefore, we urge the Council to deploy its considerable influence to persuade all parties that the road to peace, not the route to war, is in the best interest of all. War must be employed only as the very last resort, not as the next item on the agenda. War may tempt, but that does not mean that it will resolve a situation. Mr. President, As a member of the international community committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes, Indonesia has consistently appealed to the Iraqi leadership to comply with relevant United Nations resolutions, including those relating to the destruction and renunciation of weapons of mass destruction. In that regard, the Government of Indonesia has welcomed Iraq’s decision to allow the return of United Nations inspectors to their country without conditions. Since Iraq has indicated its readiness to implement previous Security Council resolutions, agreements, commitments and arrangements, my delegation believes that this critical situation can be resolved peacefully. It is apparent that Iraq has suffered long enough. All this has been at the expense of the development of the country, its economy, its people and its institutions. It would be unfortunate for Iraq to have to face another war that would further set back its economy and its people, and inflict an even deeper humanitarian crisis than Iraq has seen so far. This does not have to be, and this Council has it in its power to prevent it from happening. In our view, now that Iraq has agreed to allow United Nations inspectors back into the country, the door has been re-opened to peace. There is no doubt about it: Iraq must not only allow in the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspector Commission (UNMOVIC), it must see in the return of the inspectors a new window through which it can protect its people. To that end, it must fully uphold all the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and work at finding a comprehensive solution that would lead to the lifting of United Nations sanctions. Mr. President, Indonesia feels that despite what seems to be the prevailing sabre-rattling at the moment, there is a very good chance to avoid military action, and win back both regional and global peace from this situation. We call on the Council to seize the opportunity to demonstrate that when necessary, it would go the extra mile to ensure that peace prevails, and not have to explain war thereafter. This issue touches upon the mandate of the Council and it is in the interest of United Nations multilateralism that the Council lives up to the best expectations of the membership. Finally, Indonesia calls attention to the point that the situation in Iraq should not be viewed in isolation. In our view, it is crucial for the international community to see the bigger picture of the Middle East, with particular reference to the situation in Palestine, as well as in the context of the challenge of terrorism. It is our considered opinion that there is a sense in which these issues -- and therefore the response to them - must be seen as related. Thank you, Mr. President.
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