Indonesia steps in for Afghanistan peace deal
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JAKARTA - Indonesia is set to host talks among Indonesian and Afghan Islamic clerics in Bogor, south of Jakarta, at the end of the month in a bid to mediate the peace process in the long-standing Afghan conflict.
The summit will involve the Indonesian Ulema Council and Afghanistan’s clerics.
The Interpreter, published by the Lowy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think tank based in Australia, reports that the talks follow Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s visit to Kabul earlier this year, and are not the first time Indonesia has attempted to mediate a peace process. In 2016 Jakarta hosted the 5th Extraordinary OIC Summit on Palestine and Al-Quds Al-Sharif, which served as a bid to mediate the Israel–Palestine peace process.
Similarly, the Indonesian government collaborated with civil society organizations in mediating the Mindanao peace process in the Philippines, providing humanitarian aid and engaging in negotiations to free two Indonesian fisherman held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants since November 2016.
Historically, Indonesia has been well-regarded for its quiet but decisive mediation role in conflict resolution processes in Cambodia the 1980s, as well as for its actions in achieving peaceful resolutions to internal religious conflicts in Ambon and Aceh.
The Interpreter however questions whether this experience is sufficient to justify a greater role for Indonesia as an effective and impartial peace broker in Afghanistan?
According to the institute, there are two good opportunities and three limitations to this prospect, all of which need to be taken into account by Jakarta before it seriously engages with the Afghan peace process.
“While Indonesia might be able to step forward with its proposal for a peace roadmap in Afghanistan, some structural problems might constrain its attempts to get involved,” the Interpreter reports.
According to them, one gain from the talks might be greater recognition of Indonesia’s humanitarian diplomacy.
During Widodo’s presidency, Indonesia took the lead both in sending humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees, and responding to the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
This leadership has not only involved the government (particularly the Foreign Ministry) but also a network of religious-based civil society organizations.
