1.        The Government of the Republic of Indonesia remains steadfast in its principled view that the question of Iraq's alleged build-up of weapons of mass destruction must be deal with through the United Nations Security Council as the body mandated by the UN Charter to maintain international peace and security. It also maintains its rejection of unilateral use of military force against Iraq, with its attendant humanitarian consequence, on political, security, legal and moral grounds.

2.        The Government of the Republic of Indonesia, through its serious efforts which have been undertaken by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, and the President's Special Envoys Ali Alatas and Nana Sutresna in bilateral meetings as well as international fora such as ASEAN, the Non Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the United Nations, has consistently stressed the need to maximize the use of all diplomatic means to find a peaceful and durable solution to the question. These efforts have been strengthened by the on-going peace missions of the Indonesian intern-faith leaders to several countries, as well as by the repeated call for peace from all segments of the Indonesian nation.

3.        In this regard, the Government of the Republic of Indonesia fully shares and supports the idea of strengthening the UN Inspection Team in Iraq as suggested in the new initiative recently launched by France, Germany and the Russian Federation. The strengthening of the Inspection Team, inter-alia in terms of the number and expertise of its personnel, combined with the political, technical and material support of UN Member States, would send a powerful signal of the international community's common sense of purpose in urgently addressing the question of Iraq in an effective, yet peaceful, way in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.

Jakarta, 14 February 2003