http://www.thejakartapost.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]&irec=0
Kadin visit to Israel called purely business Rendi Akhmad Witular and Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government said Friday it considered a visit to Israel by a delegation from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) was a normal business matter with no political involvement. Although it acknowledged it knew beforehand about the June 25-29 visit, the government insisted that it had not been involved in arranging or promoting the trip. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday he understood the purpose of the visit was merely aimed at boosting trade relations between the private sectors of the two countries without any government intervention. "Kadin is (an institution) of businesspeople. Our businesspeople trade globally. They go everywhere. So as businesspeople, trade with Israel is a normal thing," Kalla said in response to questions from reporters. As reported Thursday in this newspaper, Kadin chairman Mohamad S. Hidayat led its first-ever visit to Israel to seek closer business relations. The powerful business lobby signed several deals with the Manufacturers Association of Israel (MAI). Kadin's visit was made at the invitation of the MAI and the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute (EICI), which was sent around a month ago. The countries have no bilateral diplomatic ties because Indonesia is a staunch supporter of Palestinian statehood. Kalla said trade with Israel was acceptable because businesspeople from other Islamic countries also trade and work with the Zionist state, and the government was not involved. "Arabs, Egypt and Jordan also engage in trade relations with Israel. Many Palestinians are working in Israel. Maybe the goods that we buy from Israel are made by the Palestinians. So I do not see any problem in it," he said. A source at the Presidential Palace, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had endorsed the visit in order to help the country revive its sagging economy. Israel was expected to share its agricultural technology with Indonesia. However, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal denied that Yudhoyono was involved in any way in arranging the trip or had asked Kadin to become a special envoy to Israel to assist economic recovery. "We knew of the visit, but the government was never involved in it. It was purely business to business," he said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Desra Percaya said the ministry did not have a problem with the visit as such, but it would discuss with the lobby and the business deals it made before deciding on any further response. Meanwhile, the deputy secretary-general of the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Zulkiflimansyah, said Kadin should offer a public explanation about the benefits of making the trip. "They should explain it to the public so that we are not being rigid (in opposition to Israel), and can understand the benefits. But they should also express sympathy to the Palestinians." He also advised Kadin to be careful in handling the issue to prevent untoward problems in the future. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi 4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
