"It is very important for Indonesia to know the term of reference of the coalition, so that we can decide our position," Indonesian foreign ministry`s spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir stated.Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The recent formation of a coalition of Islamic countries led by Saudi Arabia to fight ISIS has taken Indonesia by surprise.
Indonesian foreign ministrys spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir stated at a press conference here on Wednesday that the Saudi foreign minister had on Friday, last week, urged the Indonesian government to join the coalition to deter the radical terrorist group, ISIS.
"We are surprised as what was conveyed last week was an invitation to form a center for coordination to overcome terrorism but what has occurred now is the formation of a military alliance," he noted.
In view of this, Indonesia has yet to give a confirmation on whether it would join the coalition along with 34 other Islamic countries from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
"It is very important for Indonesia to know the term of reference of the coalition, so that we can decide our position," he remarked.
He affirmed that Indonesia is still awaiting the term of reference and modality from Saudi Arabia with regard to its invitation to join the coalition.
He pointed out that Indonesia hailed every effort aimed at deterring radicalism and terrorism using a soft or hard approach.
However, he stated that a confirmation was required with regard to the term of reference, in this case from Saudi Arabia, as the initiator of the coalition, to know the direction and focus of the cooperation.
"We have always emphasized this. But, in the context of the recent Saudi invitation, no explanation has been given regarding the direction, goal, and focus of the coalition. If the term of reference is available, we will decide our position based on Indonesias principles," he noted.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
