Other Countries Could Take Example from Indonesia: Palestinian FM

medcom.id, Jakarta: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was present at the inauguration ceremony of Indonesia's honorary consul for Palestine Maha Abou Shushes in Amman, Jordan last week.
 
He appreciated continuous support from Indonesia to Palestine. He wishes other countries could take an example from Indonesia. This is the exclusive interview between Metrotvnews.com and Minister al-Maliki in Amman, Sunday (3/13/2016).
 
What is your opinion on the establishment of Indonesia's honorary consulate in Ramallah?

 

The absence of representative in Palestine does not really help very much. So when you have an office and you have a representative this will make connection. It's allowed people to have an address. And by having an address, then you open up opportunity not only at political level but also economic and trade relations.

 

That's why we are very much encouraged by this initiative taken by the Government of Indonesia to have an honorary consulate in Ramallah. Hoping that this would be the first step towards having the real embassy in Ramallah soon. But you know we are very much confident that this honorary consul will boost the relationship and will encourage the potential trade to develop between the two countries.

 

 

It depends how we want to see it. The more you have embassies of countries in Palestine, the more that you strengthen the independent character of the state itself. So yes, the more we have embassies in Palestine, the more that you feel very much supported internationally. This is by itself is a way there. 

 

But you know of course our action towards Independence has been always supported by Indonesia not only through opening office of honorary consul  but through the real political work that Indonesia has been readily providing us over the years in different fora, not only the United Nations but many other fora. That's why we feel indebted for everything it did for Palestine. The decision to open up honorary consul is another signal that Indonesia adds to its involvement in support of Palestine to show that Indonesia stands with Palestine.

 

 

Absolutely, absolutely. We do feel it is really very important step that Indonesia has taken and we hope that many other countries will look to Indonesia as an example. The mere presence of different ambassadors here noticing what has happened and being witness to it. I think they will report back to their capital. This might encourage many others to follow what Indonesia has done.

 

 

It is a process. It is not a one shot. We do believe in a process that has to accumulate results and open up opportunities. So the extraordinary summit by itself was another opportunity that was put there. It is like putting a stone in order to have house. That stone is very important. Without it, you cannot build the house. But put it, you are adding to the shape of the house. So yes, we do believe by itself has helped very much to bring us closer to where we really want to go.

 

 

We have been the member of ICC at the beginning of last year. Since then, we have submitted many documents to the ICC. We are waiting for the ICC to conclude that there is enough evidence to open up an open investigation against Israel. We do believe that the ICC is the right way to go. That's why we put particular emphasis on our relationship with the ICC.

 

 

Very little is being released because it is internal investigation that ICC is doing. So no one really knows exactly where they are and how deep they went in terms of the investigation. But we hope the prosecutor office will reach the conclusion that they have accumulated and gathered enough evidence to open up an official investigation for all crimes committed by Israel against Palestinian people over the years. I think the ICC is the right mechanism for that. That's why we are putting emphasis on it by gathering the information, providing and submitting such information to the ICC, hoping that they would conclude in the right way.

 

 

That is the US policy we are not in a way to be able to change that. But We are trying to work with many other countries. The achievement that we have accumulated over the years is anomaly for the United States government and people to start realizing that they cannot keep blindly support Israel regardless what they do in the Palestine's occupied territory. We've started to see in university campuses, churches, mosques. It's an indication US public opinion is starting really to shift and to change. I hope such shift would be enough in order to impose itself on congress and other organizations.

 

 

 

Yes, that was really historic. We have waited so many years to see that Palestinian flag will be raised next to independent states. I think it is really a recognition by the international community. Palestinians people appreciate the Palestine to be recognized as such. We see it as historic moment from our perspective that we need to build on it. That's why we should not stop there. We should also really work to get Palestine to be admitted as full member states within the United Nations system.

 

 

It is really  process that we have restarted not long time ago. The president is putting a lot of emphasis on it. Investing a lot of time on that. even now there are meetings taking place between Fatah and Hamas in different capitals in our region. We are confident this time there is great potential that they could conclude an agreement that put an end to the division and for reconciliation to proceed.

(WAH)