ID :
70774
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 21:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/70774
The shortlink copeid
RI ASKS US NOT TO SUPPORT SEPARATIST OPM
New York, July 16 (ANTARA) - Visiting Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid has asked the US government not to support the separatist Free Papua Organizaton (OPM).
Hidayat said he had asked the US to help Indonesia develop democracy without giving any support to OPM activities or efforts.
"I said that to develop democracy, Indonesia should concentrate on all the resources it has but the state budget should not be spent on defending territorial sovereignty alone," Hidayat said over the phone from Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Hidayat said he conveyed Indonesia's wish to a number of US Congressmen during his one-day visit in Washington on Wednesday.
"I did ask the US Congressmen to seriously help Indonesia because I had heard that some of them frequently try to bring up the OPM issue in the Congress," the MPR speaker said.
He admitted that in his meeting with US Congressmen in Washington the OPM issue was raised.
Although issues related to Papua were discussed in the meeting, the shooting incidents in the PT Freeport area in Mimika district last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were not touched on.
Besides his meeting with US Congressmen, Hidayat also gave a lecture at forum sponsored by the US-Indonesia Association (Usindo) on the role of MPR in maintaining democracy, including the success of the July 8 presidential election in Indonesia.
From Washington DC, Hidayat would travel to Houston, Texas, where he would speak to members of the Indonesian community on the ammended 1945 Constitution and the People's Consultative Assembly's powers.
A number of MPR members spoke about the same topics in several US cities, including Washington DC and New York last year.
From Houston, Hidayat would fly to Vietnam for a similar purpose.
Hidayat said he had asked the US to help Indonesia develop democracy without giving any support to OPM activities or efforts.
"I said that to develop democracy, Indonesia should concentrate on all the resources it has but the state budget should not be spent on defending territorial sovereignty alone," Hidayat said over the phone from Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
Hidayat said he conveyed Indonesia's wish to a number of US Congressmen during his one-day visit in Washington on Wednesday.
"I did ask the US Congressmen to seriously help Indonesia because I had heard that some of them frequently try to bring up the OPM issue in the Congress," the MPR speaker said.
He admitted that in his meeting with US Congressmen in Washington the OPM issue was raised.
Although issues related to Papua were discussed in the meeting, the shooting incidents in the PT Freeport area in Mimika district last Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were not touched on.
Besides his meeting with US Congressmen, Hidayat also gave a lecture at forum sponsored by the US-Indonesia Association (Usindo) on the role of MPR in maintaining democracy, including the success of the July 8 presidential election in Indonesia.
From Washington DC, Hidayat would travel to Houston, Texas, where he would speak to members of the Indonesian community on the ammended 1945 Constitution and the People's Consultative Assembly's powers.
A number of MPR members spoke about the same topics in several US cities, including Washington DC and New York last year.
From Houston, Hidayat would fly to Vietnam for a similar purpose.
