The President will wait for a Dutch court’s final decision before
resuming plans for his state visit to the Netherlands, despite the fact
that the court has thrown out a demand to have him arrested.
Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono “wants all [legal] proceedings to be clear and
conclusive before deciding to reschedule the visit,” the Coordinating
Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister’s Office said in a press
statement on Wednesday.
The statement cited information from the
Indonesian Embassy in The Hague that a Dutch district court had
rejected a request by the plaintiffs, including those repre-senting the
Republic of South Maluku (RMS) movement, to lift the President’s
diplomatic immunity during his visit there and have him arrested on
charges of human rights violations.
“But the court’s [latest]
verdict is not yet conclusive,” the statement said. Reuters quoted a
court spokeswoman as saying: “The requests have been denied”.
Dutch
Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said his government had assured
Indonesia that the President’s immunity could not be challenged by a
claim filed in a district court. “As head of state he would be legally
untouchable,” reports said.
The press statement also said a
further decision on the other two demands from the plaintiffs was to be
announced “within several days”.
The demands include that the
Netherlands ask the Indonesian government to inform where former RMS
leader Christiaan RS Soumokil is buried and to involve the Indonesian
government in a dialogue about Maluku’s self determination for
independence.
According to historical records, Soumokil
proclaimed the establishment of RMS on April 25, 1950, before being
captured on Dec. 2, 1963. He was then tried and sentenced to death in
1964.
He was executed on April 12, 1966 on Obi Island, South Halmahera, by a firing squad.
Many RMS activists have long sought exile or asylum in the Netherlands, and have seen dwindling support for their cause.
To
both praise and criticism, Yudhoyono canceled his visit at the last
minute despite guarantees of immunity from Dutch authorities.
Yudhoyono
had cited “national dignity” as the main reason for the cancelation. He
said he could not accept the fact that he was about to leave for a
state visit on the invitation of Queen Beatrix and Prime Minister Jan
Peter Balkenende, but that a Dutch court had accepted a lawsuit which
included demands to try and arrest Indonesia’s President.
He had said the visit would have marked improved cooperation in business, education and other areas.
Former Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot said “a postponement is extremely regrettable”, Radio Netherlands reported Wednesday.
Indonesian
Foreign Deputy Minister Triyono Wibowo said the incident would not hurt
bilateral ties, and that “a delayed visit” was not uncommon.
Yudhoyono’s
state visit would have been the first in 40 years by a president of
Indonesia, which gained independence after 350 years of colonialism
under the Netherlands.
In September 1970, after a 24-hour delay,
then president Soeharto visited the Netherlands under tight security
following the occupation of the Indonesian ambassador’s house in The
Hague by people claiming to be from Maluku.
Queen Beatrix then visited Indonesia in 1995.
