Indonesia Reminds NAM “Debt” for Palestinian Independence

New York, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi reminded the countries of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) about the “debt” of Palestinian independence which was still under Israeli occupation.

“In the past week, we have talked a lot about the global crisis. But one thing we must not miss is our commitment to Palestine. Liberating Palestine from colonialism is our common “debt,” said Retno at the NAM Ministerial Meeting in New York, United States on Saturday.

According to the Indonesian Foreign Minister, one of the reasons why the Palestinian issue remains on the NAM agenda and is still unresolved is because there is a gap between commitments and what is actually being implemented.

“We don’t walk the talk, we just talk, but don’t do anything,” he said.

Foreign Minister Retno said that Indonesia was proud to be at the forefront of fighting for Palestinian independence and reiterated Indonesia’s steadfast commitment to support the two-state solution.

“NAM should be able to play a bigger role in encouraging the start of the peace process because NAM consists of 120 countries, meaning it has 60 percent of the votes in the UN. This will definitely make a difference. In addition, currently, there are five NAM countries that are non-permanent members of the UN Security Council,” said the Foreign Minister.

Recalling what the UN Secretary General had said regarding the ongoing violence in Palestine that could hinder the peace process for the Palestinian people, Retno invited NAM to close ranks, unite positions to make peace efforts for Palestine.

“With 139 countries having recognized Palestine as a state, we must continue to fight for Palestinian independence, until Palestinian independence is achieved”, he stressed.

The NAM Palestine Committee is one of the working groups in the NAM that was formed to strengthen NAM’s support for Palestinian independence. The meeting in New York this time was chaired by Azerbaijan, as the Chair of the NAM. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)