RI PROPOSES FORMATION OF INT'L MONITORING TEAM FOR GAZA

Jakarta, Jan 9 (ANTARA) - Indonesia welcomes the United Nations Security Council's resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and has suggested an international monitoring team to ensure the resolution's implementation, a presidential spokesman said.
Presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal said at the presidential office here on Friday Indonesia was ready to participate if the UN decided to form an international monitoring team to ensure the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1860 issued on Friday (January 9 2008).
"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said Indonesia emphasizes the importance of an international monitoring force to guarantee its implementation and Indonesia is prepared to participate in the mission," he said.
Dino said Resolution 1860 did not explicitly call for the establishment of an international monitoring team to supervise its implementation in the Gaza Strip.
He said Indonesia's participation in the team, if the UN really would establish it, would be adapted to the needs which would be determined by the UN.
"It is not yet known what Indonesia's contribution to the mission would be as the concept still had yet to be made clear by the UN. Certainly an assessment will have to be made first by the UN to determine what kind of a team or contingent to be set up to fit in the situation there," he said.
Although it had welcomed the issuance of the resolution Indonesia remained concerned over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, he said.
Dino said the resolution had not as yet met Indonesia's expectation because in it the UN Security Council did not give a strong warning to Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza nor did it give a guarantee that the cease-fire would work.
He said based upon its track records Israel frequently ignored UN resolutions and therefore, an international guarantee was needed to ensure its implementation.
The UN resolution, approved by 14 votes with the US abstaining, calls for an immediate cease-fire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the opening of border crossings to enable humanitarian aid to reach Palestinian victims.
President Yudhoyono last week sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council president calling for the UN Security Council to immediately meet formally to produce a resolution to halt Israeli attacks on Gaza.