RI calls for calm end to Egypt crisis

Avoiding confrontational statements against embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, expressed hope Thursday that the crisis in Egypt could be solved peacefully.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Thursday that as a friend of Egypt, the first country to acknowledge Indonesia’s independence, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, called on conflicting sides to hold dialogue and resolve their difference amicably in the interests of the Egyptian people.

“The interests of the Egyptian people must be prioritized. We hope [talks] will be carried out by peaceful and democratic ways without sacrificing more innocent people,” he told a press conference.

Marty said that with Mubarak’s announcement that he would not seek another term in the country’s election in September, the biggest Arab nation would enter a transitional period.

“It is very important that the transition be managed carefully. But only the Egyptian people know what is best for them,” he said, stopping short of calling for Mubarak to step down as many leaders have done recently.

Earlier, the US, EU and Turkey as well as scores of other countries called on Mubarak to listen to the demands by Egyptians that he step down.

Confronted by scenes of bloody chaos in Cairo, the White House on Wednesday challenged Mubarak to show the world “exactly who he is” by quickly leading a peaceful transition to democracy, the Associated Press reported.

An Egyptian official complained that the US was pressing for Mubarak’s swift departure even as President Barack Obama publicly urged an orderly transition.

“Now means now,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, declaring anew that continued aid to Egypt would be influenced by the Egyptian government’s response to the crisis.

While the US has not directly called for Mubarak to resign — the protesters’ chief demand — Gibbs was echoing Obama’s public call a night earlier for an immediate and orderly transition to democracy in Egypt. Instead, the images on TV were of a brutal clash between protesters and Mubarak supporters.

Noted Middle East expert Amris Hasan said Indonesia had an “intangible asset” in its relationship with Egypt due to the historical background between the two states’ leaders. “To be honest, however, our profile is not high enough to be able to play a role in the Middle East,” he said Monday.
Amris said Indonesia’s ties with Egypt were not as strong as others.

“Our historical closeness with Egypt has not manifested in concrete cooperation for decades. It would not be easy for us to suddenly play a political role in Egypt.”

Marty said he had issued a letter to all ASEAN foreign ministers suggesting that ASEAN collectively expressed its concerns, hoping that the crisis could be solved peacefully.