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)
President Yudhoyono Offers Condolence to Malaysian PM
Sabtu, 19 Juli 2014 12:11 WIB
