TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
RI committed to Palestinian-Israeli peace process: Retno
Change Size
Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi
(Tempo/-)
T
he Indonesian government says it remains committed to capacity-building efforts for Palestine in an attempt to create peace between Palestine and Israel.
Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi met with her French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault in Paris on Wednesday to discuss follow-up steps to a ministerial meeting held in the French capital on June 3.
The two ministers discussed economic incentives to support the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Devising incentives that would be beneficial for both conflicting parties has been set as a goal for the upcoming Paris Peace Conference later this year.
“Indonesia has contributed to capacity-building in Palestine and will continue to do so through bilateral, trilateral and multilateral platforms,” Retno said in a written statement.
The two ministers also discussed a report issued last week in which the so-called Middle East Quartet – namely the UN, the EU, the US and Russia – blamed both sides for the stalled peace process.
The quartet criticized Israeli settlements and urged Israel to cease the policy that denies Palestinian development. Israeli settlements, the demolition of Palestinian homes and the confiscation of land were "steadily eroding the viability of the two-state solution," it said.
The quartet’s report also said "the Palestinian Authority should act decisively and take all steps within its capacity to cease incitement to violence and strengthen ongoing efforts to combat terrorism, including by clearly condemning all acts of terrorism."
The findings and recommendations will serve as the basis for reviving the peace process that has been stalled since a US initiative collapsed in April 2014.
Indonesia has provided substantial support to efforts to end the conflict, having hosted the Extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Syarif in March, which reaffirmed support for Palestinian independence.
Ayrault had expressed hope that Indonesia continued to support the peace process’s initiatives, Retno said. (Yoh)
