Indonesia has renewed its support for Iran’s nuclear program for peaceful purposes.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono conveyed Indonesia’s support when he met Alaeddin Boroujerdi, a special envoy to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Jakarta on Friday.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who accompanied the president in the almost-two-hour meeting, said Boroujerdi had been assigned to seek support from Indonesia for the program.
“Iran believes Indonesia has a very independent view on Iran’s nuclear issue, and expects that the latest developments will encourage Indonesia to keep playing a constructive role,” Marty said.
In June, the UN Security Council issued a new sanctions resolution on Iran. On July 1, U.S. President Barack Obama signed unilateral sanctions legislation that he said were the toughest that the U.S. Congress had ever imposed on the Islamic state.
The European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea have also imposed their own sanctions against Iran.
“Mr. President has affirmed that the Indonesian government will always be ready to contribute to the settlement of the issue,” Marty said.
Boroujerdi, who is the chairman of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security, asserted that his country’s commitment to developing nuclear technology was only for peaceful purposes.
Yudhoyono reiterated Indonesia’s principles in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue. Indonesia, as home to the world’s largest Muslim population, shares the same view with the Islamic republic that any nation had a right to employ nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, he said.
“The president also said Iran and Indonesia were opposed to the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Marty said.
(Source: Jakarta Post)