He said at the meeting at the UN Headquarters Palestinian foreign minister al-Maliki told about measures Palestine would take in the next few days.
Palestine`s decision on whether to continue to apply for a full UN membership or to be a non-UN member observer would be conveyed by President Mahmud Abbas in his speech at the general debate of the 66th UN General Assembly on Friday (Sept 23).
Until now Palestine still tends to press ahead with its plan to take the first option of applying for a full UN membership although the US as one of the five UN Security Council members wielding a veto power has threatened to use the power to stop the Palestinian bid.
President Mahmud Abbas conveyed the Palestinian intent to apply for a full UN membership to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday (Sept 19).
"Certainly it is not impossible for the bid to be vetoed by one of the SC members. That is one of the possibilities. If that happens (that is what we discussed just now) then what the next steps would be," Marty said.
Marty said to reporters that whatever the option the Palestinians would take or the result that would come out of the process of the application would not reduce Indonesia`s full support to Palestinian efforts especially made through the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
"We however also need to assure that the form of support we would give must be the smart and correct one. Therefore through communications (with minister al-Maliki) just now we could identify measures that need to be taken ahead," he said.
Marty said although Palestine is seeking UN memberships it does not mean that the Palestine-Israel peace process is being neglected.
"Even this has shown how the Palestinians have been forced to take a choice after no progress has been made in the peace process. Priority however remains to be put on the peace process and its hoped through this effort the process could be revived again," he said.
To be able to become a full UN membership the Palestinians must first get a recommendation from the 15-member UN Security Council put in the form of a resolution.
The resolution could only be passed if it is supported by at least nine of the SC members and is not vetoed by one of the SC members.
SC members who have a veto right are the US, Britain, France, China and Russia while 10 other countries with non-permanent membership include Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Germany, India, Colombia, Lebanon, Nigeria, Portugal and South Africa.
Minister Marty hinted that the process to get nine votes from the SC members would not be smooth.
"Indeed the first step is getting nine votes. The use of the veto right would only be relevant after the nine votes are collected. I think there would be a lot of struggle ahead. We had once sat (as member) at the SC and so know the pushes and the pulls," he said.
Deputy chairman of the House of Representatives` Foreign Affairs Commission I Hayono Suyono who also attended the meeting between Minister Marty and Minister al-Maliki shared the view on the winding roads ahead Palestine has to face at the SC.
"It will not be easy because I have seen intimidation efforts by certain country to countries supporting Palestine. In politics that is actually common. But again, we certainly wish countries who are pro-democracy and pro-human rights could understand the misery of the Palestinian people so far," he said.
"How much longer will they have to be punished by the world by injustices especially by countries who claim to be democratic countries that respect human rights. They should have known better on how to meet the genuine aspirations and desire of the Palestinian people," he said.
In reply to a question after the meeting al-Maliki said he was convinced Palestine would get support from nine countries "so long as we have friends like Indonesia who knows our aspirations."
"As long as we have such support and friendly I am quite certain that, yes, we will get the nine votes," al-Maliki said.
(T.K-TNY/H-YH/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
