T

he Foreign Ministry has insisted that a proposal to have Iran stripped from the list of countries receiving visa privileges to enter Indonesia requires further discussion.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Tuesday that a decision to grant Iran a visa-on-arrival (VOA) facility was made after meticulous and prudent considerations.

“The VOA provision includes a series of processes. We consider many factors when deciding to include a nation in the group of countries receiving facility,” Marty said at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java.

“The point is, the government has a stance on Iran’s VOA.”

Marty also dismissed claims that the facility had been subject to abuse in accommodating the inflow of asylum seekers and drug dealers into the archipelago, operated by an Iranian criminal syndicate.

Iran accounts for the largest amount of drugs confiscated in the country, followed by Malaysia and China, according to the National Narcotics Agency (BNN).

Due to concerns, Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana said on Monday that his ministry would review the VOA following indications of misuse.

“I cannot confirm when a decision will be taken, but there’s an indication of misuse here and we need to be tough on that,” said Denny.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry oversees the Directorate General of Immigration, which has the authority to grant and issue VOAs, which were first introduced in 2004.

Under the facility, which is now enjoyed by more than 70 countries, foreign visitors do not have to apply abroad for visas but can process them at Indonesia’s international airports and seaports within a few hours of their arrival.

An official with the immigration office said the plan to revoke the VOA for Iranian nationals had been discussed since last year at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister.

During a series of meetings, a “clearing house” team consisting of the police, the military, the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the BNN unanimously agreed to the revocation of the facility.

However, according to the immigration official, the Foreign Ministry opposed the proposal fearing it could undermine Indonesia’s leverage over Iran, which has been accused by the West of supporting terrorism and developing nuclear weapons, contrary to the hopes for peace among nations.

Revoking Iran’s VOA facility may also be difficult, as it was offered directly by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in May 2006 via a memorandum of understanding (MOU), according to an official at the Presidential Palace.

The Foreign Ministry’s director for international security and disarmament, Febrian A. Ruddyard, said a bilateral agreement would play a key role in tackling drug trafficking involving Iranian organized crime groups.

“On Iranian drug trafficking, for example, we have an MOU with their government to tackle such problems. We are preparing similar MOUs with several African countries. We also have various cooperation forums to tackle the problem as well,” Febrian said recently.

He added that the drugs could also be brought in by Iranian refugees or any other foreigners who transited through Indonesia on their way to neighboring Australia.

“Therefore, we must address this problem using the Bali Process, a regional and multilateral process designed to address human trafficking and transnational crime in the region,” said Febrian.

“We remain vigilant. The refugees may be involved in drug trafficking as well,” he said.