News Focus: Yudhoyono`s visit to Iran has strategic meaning

The Indonesian head of state visited Iran on March 11, 2008, as part of his trips to several countries till March 20, 2008, including to Dakar, Senegal, to attend the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit on March 12-15, 2008.

During his trips, the president was also scheduled to visit South Africa on March 16, 2008, and United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 18-20, 2008.

According to Mutammimul Ula, the relations between Indonesia and Iran are worth enhancing as they are developing countries with equal interests.

Indonesia and Iran as the two muslim-majority countries, the members of the G77 (group of seventy seven developing countries), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), and Organization of Islamic Conference ( OIC) should be in synergy to enhance the bilateral cooperation in many sectors.

The president`s trips abroad involved a big entourage in the framework of exploring possible strategic cooperation with a number of countries.

Secretary of the Golkar Party faction at DPR, Hajriyanto Y Thohari, meanwhile said the president`s visit to Iran had deep symbolic meaning.

Thohari described it as a symbolic soujorn as the president paid the visit after Indonesia abstained at the voting session of the UN Security Council on March 3, 2008, to approve a new resolution on additional sanctions against Iran`s nuclear program.

Indonesia is the only country of the 10 non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, which abstained in the voting session.

On that occasion, Indonesia has shown Iran and the international community that the former as the biggest muslim country in the world is independent, Thohari said.

"The courage to take such a measure shows that the government has also had political position parallel to the Indonesian people`s aspiration," he said.

Thohari saw that the symbolic meaning was significant to strengthen Indonesia`s bargaining position not only to the international community but also to Iran.

"Iran has to appreciate and respect Indonesia and thus the former should learn the latter`s suggestions on the nuclear issue," he said.

Indonesia`s stance is already clear, namely, supporting Iran`s nuclear program for peace not for making armaments, he said, adding that Indonesia believed that recommendations issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in February, 2008, have been valid and authoritative.

It was earlier reported that IAEA concluded that Iran`s nuclear program was far from efforts to produce destructive weapons like what had been frequently accused of by certain western countries.

The Indonesian government considered Iran had been cooperative in the IAEA`s examination on Iran`s nuclear program so that Indonesia abstained in the UN Security Council`s voting session to issue Resolution 1803.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said ...