Indonesian Parliament Urges to Push for Palestinian Independence

Jakarta (Antara) - The Indonesian House of Representatives has urged Asian and African countries\' parliaments attending the Asian-African Parliamentarian Conference (AAPC) to push for Palestine\'s independence. \"Pushing for Palestine\'s independence is one of the agenda items to be discussed in this conference,\" Indonesian House Speaker Setya Novanto noted at the opening of the conference, Thursday. The opening ceremony was attended by President Joko Widodo, some ministers, former vice president Tri Sutrisno, former house speakers Akbar Tandjung and Marzuki Alie, and delegations of the AAPC from 30 Asian and African countries. Asian and African nations are facing complex problems that need concrete and close strategic cooperation, he stated. Problems concerning the survival of human beings such as that being faced by the Palestinian people must be given attention by Asian and African parliamentarians, he noted. A new strategic partnership is expected to become the driving force to push for Palestine\'s independence, he added. \"By doing so, we pay our historical debt, which has not been resolved, namely to free Palestine,\" he stated. He hoped that the conference could produce a declaration on Palestine. Other agenda of the conference include issues related to poverty, health, and environmental conservation. Since the first AAC in 1955, the intercontinental organization has encouraged, promoted, and supported the independence of each nation, and of the 109 members, only Palestine is the country that has not gained complete independence as a state. \"The AAC is our legacy on how we free the colonized nations, and we will uphold its spirit,\" Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry\'s Acting Director of Inter-regional Cooperation of Asia-Pacific and Africa Ferdy Piay remarked recently. Israeli Zionists have illegally occupied Palestine for the past 68 years with the support of its main allies, particularly the United States and some other western countries such as Britain, Canada, Australia, France, and Germany.(*)