DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Indonesia: Proposed 'Board of Peace' Unfeasible Amid Middle East Tensions

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Indonesia's Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta stated that the proposed 'Board of Peace' (BOP) initiative is currently unfeasible due to the volatile situation in the Middle East.
  • Matta explained that the BOP, an initiative by former US President Donald Trump, along with the potential deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), are part of a package that must be postponed.
  • He also noted that discussions about US-Iran peace talks are premature, as even the preliminary steps for negotiations have not yet begun.

Indonesia's Deputy Foreign Minister Anis Matta has declared that the proposed 'Board of Peace' (BOP) initiative, an idea floated by former US President Donald Trump, is currently not viable. Matta cited the escalating regional conflicts, including the Iran-Israel tensions and the unresolved situation in Gaza, as reasons why such diplomatic efforts are impractical at this time. The BOP was envisioned as a platform for heads of state to address the aftermath of the Gaza conflict.

The government's stance to postpone all discussions about BOP is correct. Because the conditions on the ground do not allow it to be done.

— Anis MattaExplaining the rationale behind Indonesia's decision to halt discussions on the Board of Peace initiative.

Matta elaborated that the BOP initiative, along with the potential deployment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF), are intrinsically linked and form a single package. Consequently, he believes that both must be postponed. "It's all one package. BOP, ISF, they are all one package. So I think this is postponed," Matta stated in a special interview in Jakarta.

It's all one package. BOP, ISF, they are all one package. So I think this is postponed.

— Anis MattaDescribing the interconnectedness of the BOP and ISF initiatives and the need for their joint postponement.

He further assessed the Middle East as being at a critical juncture, facing three possible scenarios: the achievement of peace through negotiation, a wider escalation of war, or a prolonged state of 'no peace, no war' characterized by persistent tension. Matta observed that the latter two scenarios appear most likely based on current developments.

There are no negotiations yet. Just an MoU to negotiate. The MoU itself has not been agreed upon. So there is no settlement yet.

— Anis MattaAssessing the early stage of potential US-Iran peace talks, highlighting the lack of concrete progress.

Adding to the complexity, Matta commented on the premature nature of discussions regarding US-Iran peace talks. He explained that the current stage involves only preliminary efforts to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate negotiations, and even this initial step has not yet been agreed upon. "There are no negotiations yet. Just an MoU to negotiate. The MoU itself has not been agreed upon. So there is no settlement yet," he said, underscoring the lack of concrete progress towards de-escalation.

Because of that, I imagine that the idea of BOP and ISF, in my opinion, cannot be implemented at this time.

— Anis MattaConcluding that the BOP and ISF initiatives are currently unachievable.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog