WASHINGTON: Indonesian President Joko Widodo pressed US President Joe Biden during a visit to the White House on Monday to do more to end “atrocities” in Gaza and help bring about a ceasefire.
“Indonesia appeals to the US to do more to stop the atrocities in Gaza,” Widodo, the leader of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, said as the two presidents met in front of a roaring fire.
“Ceasefire is a must for the sake of humanity.”
The Indonesian president had said on Sunday he would bring Biden a “very strong message” from a joint summit of Arab and Muslim leaders in Riyadh at the weekend which condemned Israel and called for a ceasefire.
Widodo had also said he would “deliver a specific message from President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, who asked me to convey it to President Biden,” regarding the war.
Global concerns about the war in Gaza were on the agenda in Washington, as they will be in San Francisco later this week.
US officials had said that Biden would in turn urge his Indonesian counterpart to take a “larger role” in resolving the Middle East situation.
“I think it will be critical to hear the perspectives from Indonesia about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East,” a senior US administration official said on Sunday in a call with reporters. — AFP
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