Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday conveyed sympathy to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in a telephonic conversation following the crash of Malaysian Airlines MH-17 airplane in Ukraine.
Presidential special staff for international relations Teuku Faizasyah reported to ANTARA that President Yudhoyono had offered condolences in connection with the incident and has urged for investigation.
"Prime Minister Najib had expressed appreciation to the condolences and said he believed that his country was on the right side and in that context any airline could become a victim," he remarked.
Faizasyah said during the conversation that the Malaysian prime minister expressed hope that the perpetrators will be brought to the international justice.
"Prime Minister Najib had also informed that all tourists from the Netherlands were expected to visit Bali," he said.
The Indonesian government has conveyed its deep sympathy to Malaysia after its plane was reported to have been shot down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
"On behalf of the State and government of Indonesia and personally, I offer my deep condolences to the Malaysian government and families of the victims," President Yudhoyono said at a press conference at the presidential office here on Friday.
He said, "A number of official and trusted sources have reported that the aircraft had crashed after being shot by a surface-to-air missile, and in view of that, Indonesia has urged for an immediate international investigation of the incident. If found true that a military weapon was involved, the incident should be categorized as violation of an international or even a war law."
"Of the 298 people on board, some were our fellow citizens. In view of that, the foreign ministry and our embassies in the Netherlands, Ukraine, Russia, and Malaysia have been and are continuing to work officially to determine the number and identity of the Indonesian victims," he said.
Indonesia, he said, has also supported the holding of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and has called for a correct action to deal with it.
President Yudhoyono has also called for ASEAN solidarity for Malaysia in connection with the incident.
"Indonesia has called on ASEAN member countries to assist Malaysia in dealing with the problem and with other international efforts to seek justice," he said.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa earlier said that the Indonesian government has continued to monitor the development of the incident.
"We have continued to collect as much complete information as possible. We also continue to update the president regarding the development of the incident and our efforts to determine citizens who were on board. The president has asked for a continuous update and has been giving instructions on dealing with the situation," he said before attending a meeting with the president.
President Yudhoyono on Friday morning held a meeting with a number of cabinet ministers to discuss the incident.
"We again met this morning, and we will again report to him about the Indonesians on board and subsequent measures to take," he said.
Minister Natalegawa said he was saddened to hear the incident. "Certainly we are all mourning and our hearts are with the families of the victims," he said.
He said his office is still cooperating with Malaysian Airlines with regard to contacting the families of the Indonesian victims.
He said, "Although we already have data, we must have the freedom to reach to the families of the victims before the data are made known to the public."
He said he could not yet determine the exact number of Indonesian citizens on board the plane or confirm if Indonesia will participate in the team to investigate the incident.
The plane travelling from the Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur was reportedly carrying 298 passengers, including 15 crew members and 12 Indonesian citizens.(WDY)
