PRESS RELEASE

No. 422/PHM/X/03

Indonesia supports Palestine at the Special Session
of the UN General Assembly

On Monday, 20 October 2003 in New York, H.E. Mr. Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, Secretary-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia delivered his statement before the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly on Illegal Israeli Actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the Rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

In the statement, Indonesia deeply regrets the failure of the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution containing a declaration that Israel’s construction of the wall in the Occupied Territory is illegal under international law. The repeated failures of the Security Council to take necessary measures to force Israel to come to terms that would lead to a just and fair solution to the conflict have unfortunately conveyed a wrong message to the Government of Israel.

Indonesia is of the view that the construction of the wall clearly goes beyond Israel’s security measures. It is an illegal, de facto annexation of expansive areas of the Occupied Palestinian land. Continuing and inconsiderate Israeli policies constitute a serious threat to the Quartet’s “Performance-based Road Map to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”, which was published last year.

Indonesia reiterates its support the idea of ending the conflict on the basis of the Road Map, particularly on the destination to a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict by 2005. Towards that end, Israel must cease its ill practices including the construction of the wall and recognizes its vital responsibility in the process. Indonesia calls on the General Assembly to adopt the proposed-resolution as a new ground for the parties concerned to return to the negotiating table.

New York, 20 October 2003