Jakarta (AFP) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” in Washington this month, Jakarta’s foreign ministry said Wednesday. The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was originally intended to oversee the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip after two years of war, but its charter appears to extend beyond the Palestinian territory.
Indonesia, which is in the process of negotiating a trade deal with Washington, said this week it could send troops to Gaza as part of a US-backed plan to end the Israel-Hamas war. Prabowo attended the “Board of Peace” launch last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, along with other heads of state and senior officials. Around 19 countries have signed up. The first meeting is scheduled to take place on February 19 in Washington.
“The government has accepted the invitation to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, and President Prabowo Subianto plans to attend,” foreign ministry spokesperson Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela told AFP. Indonesia will use the “Board of Peace” to “strive for a just and sustainable peace” under a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the ministry spokesman said. Indonesia will also advocate for the protection of civilians and encourage the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, he added.
Permanent members of the “Board of Peace” must pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay-to-play” version of the UN Security Council. Indonesia has not confirmed whether it will pay the permanent membership fee. The country’s cabinet secretary said last week that Indonesia’s membership is non-permanent and that it could pull out at any moment.
Indonesia is a staunch supporter of Palestinian independence and has consistently called for a two-state solution. The army said this week that it was ready to send up to 8,000 troops to Gaza if a deployment of a proposed International Stabilisation Force is confirmed. Defence ministry spokesman Rico Ricardo Sirait said on Tuesday that “there has been no final decision” regarding the number of soldiers or their deployment date. Indonesian soldiers would focus on reconstruction support and health services in Gaza, he said. “In principle, Indonesia is ready to contribute to peace and humanitarian efforts,” Rico said.
© 2024 AFP
