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Indonesia calls on key countries for restraint, de-escalation in Mideast
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi has reached out to a dozen countries to call for de-escalation and promote restraint following Iran's assault on Israel over the weekend, with experts expecting that Indonesia will use its diplomatic channels for its own benefit amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
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A man walks across a pedestrian crossing on April 15, 2024, near a billboard depicting named Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading “the honest [person's] promise“ and in Persian “Israel is weaker than a spider's web“, in Valiasr Square in central Tehran. Iran on April 14 urged Israel not to retaliate militarily to an unprecedented attack overnight, which Tehran presented as a justified response to a deadly strike on its consulate building in Damascus. (AFP/Atta Kenare)
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ndonesia has started intensifying its diplomatic efforts to promote de-escalation in the Middle East by engaging with nearly a dozen key countries within 24 hours, as the global community sits on edge awaiting Israel’s response to Iran’s strike over the weekend.
Countries of significant influence in the region must use their prowess to lobby for restraint and de-escalation, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said during her string of conversations with the foreign representatives.
Indonesia, she added, would continue to “closely monitor, be on alert and make diplomatic efforts” regarding the situation.
In an unprecedented development further destabilizing the Middle East, Iran launched on Saturday over 200 drones and missiles toward Israel; a military reprisal for Israel’s assault on April 1 against its consulate building in Damascus that killed, among others, two generals and five Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The attack was the first direct assault launched by Iran against Israel, triggering global concern about a potential world war considering the significant bearing of both country’s allies.
After the attack, Retno called her Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday. According to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Amir-Abdollahian “thanked Indonesia” for its continued support for Palestine, while also emphasizing “the legitimate defense of Iran’s armed forces”.
Meanwhile, Retno called for “continued consultation, cooperation and interaction with Iran” regarding the Palestinian cause.
