Indonesia seeks US timetable for Palestinian state

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Indonesia will call on US President George W. Bush to set a timetable for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, a government spokesman said Thursday. Bush will pass through the world's most populous Muslim nation for several hours Monday to hold brief but wide-ranging talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with the Middle East crisis high on the agenda. "In the past, the US said it supported the establishment of Palestinian state in 2005," said Dino Pati Djalal, adding that despite the pledge the situation "is getting complicated and the peace prospects are not yet clear." Djalal said Indonesia would push Bush to intensify efforts because the United States - along with the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - is part of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators. "We welcome that the US says it supports the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said. "We want to make sure that ... it is not delayed any longer."