Indonesia Ready to be Mediator to Settle Myanmar Crisis

Astana, Kazakhstan (Antara Bali) - Vice president Jusuf Kalla said Indonesia is ready to be the mediator to bridge Islamic countries to settle crisis in Myanmar.

"The OIC wishes to invite Indonesia to cooperate to settle the Rohingya case. I said we can talk about the program later with the OIC secretary general," he said after the first summit meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on science and technology at the Palace of Independence here on Sunday.

Kalla said with regard to the crisis in Rakhine state in Myanmar Indonesia actually has already done what other countries cannot do because of inavailability of access for them to Myanmar.

"Indonesia can any time communicate with the Myanmar government," he said.

At the opening of the meeting Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev also touched the Myanmar issue.

"We care for Myanmar. We will also open a dialog to discuss the issue at a UN forum," he said.

He said the case would also be referred to the UN Human Rights Commission with regard to finding the truth of the problem and independently investigating the violence and violation of international laws that have happened.

The OIC also hoped that the Myanmar government could settle the core problems including the citizenship and rights of the Rohingya.

The OIC meeting produced a conclusion that it was important for the Myanmar government to return the refugees back to Rakhine state safely, honorably and under protection.

The OIC urged member countries and international organizations to seek the return of the regugees with the UN.

The OIC summit which was attended by a number of heads of state including President of Iran Hassan Rouhani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, President Abdul Hamid of Bangladesh, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, Pakistani President Mamnoo. Hussain and also President Mohamed Oukd Abdel Aziz of Mauritania also called for the international community to continue cooperating with the Myanmar government for the protection of Muslim minority in that country. (*)