(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Marty made his remarks at the NAM Ministerial Meeting in Tehran on Tuesday. The two-day meeting follows the NAM senior officials meeting that ended on Monday and will set the stage for the NAM summit that starts on Thursday.
“We need to invest in strengthening multilateral diplomacy to create a global culture of peace and security. The United Nations is the primary vehicle for promoting global peace and security,” Marty said in a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Marty underlined the need to promote a reformed Security Council and to enhance its ability to address security threats and bring about peace.
“With one voice, we in the NAM must call upon the United Nations Security Council to work with a sense of purpose and unity and in addressing various conflict situations, including in Syria.”
On Palestine, Marty said that the issue remained on the top of NAM’s agenda, urging delegates to take concrete steps to ensure that Palestine’s bid for enhanced status in the UN succeeds this year. “The cause of Palestine is the cause of the NAM. It is also Indonesia’s cause. We must also see to the establishment of a Palestinian state in 2013, as envisioned by Palestinian leaders, is realized,” Marty said.
On promoting democracy, human rights and good governance, Marty said NAM had to build democratic institutions that catered to people’s aspirations so democracy could flourish along with freedom, peace and moderation.
Iran opened the gathering on Sunday with a jibe at the Security Council and an appeal to rid the world of nuclear weapons, even as Tehran faces Western suspicions that it is seeking to make its own nuclear weapons.
At the opening, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped for a show of solidarity against sanctions the West has imposed to punish Iran for its nuclear activities.
“Non-aligned [countries] must seriously oppose [...] unilateral economic sanctions, which have been enacted by certain countries against non-aligned countries,” Salehi told the summit’s opening session, as quoted by The Associated Press.
On Tuesday, Egypt’s chief delegate has transferred the leadership of NAM to Iran. Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Ramzi Ezzeldin Ramzi formally gave Iran the rotating presidency of the 120-nation group. Iran has a far-reaching agenda for the meetings, including trying to launch a peace effort for Syria with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
President Susilo Bambang Yudho-yono tasked Vice President Boediono to lead the Indonesian delegation at the summit. Boediono’s spokesperson, Yopie Hidayat, said that the President would skip the summit to prepare for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in early September.
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