Marsudi Receives Phone Call from Tillerson

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on Monday received a 30-minute call from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Antara News reported.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted on Monday that Tillerson, during the phone call, conveyed the US` wish to improve its bilateral relation with Indonesia.

Marsudi and Tillerson also discussed issues of Palestine, especially the US` plan to withhold millions of dollars of humanitarian aid for UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which is the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

Marsudi told Tillerson that US should carefully consider the plan in cutting its contribution to UNRWA.

“Marsudi expected that the US` move would not have a negative impact on the education and housing programs for the Palestinian refugees,” Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arrmanatha Nasir noted here on Monday.

UNRWA) was founded in 1949 to aid Palestinian refugees and provide educational and health services to the people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Reuters reported that President Donald Trump had said that the United States may withhold future aid payments to the UNRWA over what he called the Palestinians? unwillingness to talk peace with Israel.

The United States is the largest donor to the agency, with a pledge of nearly $370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA`s website.

Trump is yet to make a final decision.

During the phone call, Marsudi and Tillerson also discussed the idea of a fair, open, and transparent regional architecture in Indo-Pacific region to promote the ecosystem of peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)