Oman calls on Arabs to ease Israel's 'fears for its future'

Yahoo – AFP, April 6, 2019

Oman's minister of foreign affairs Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah (C) caused a stir in
Jordan when he told a panel that Arabs must help ease Israel's "fears for its
future' (AFP Photo/Khalil MAZRAAWI)

Suweimeh (Jordan) (AFP) - A top Omani government official on Saturday said Arabs must take initiatives to make Israel overcome "fears for its future" in the region, drawing criticism from Jordan.

The remarks by Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, the minister responsible for foreign affairs in Oman, came on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum hosted by Jordan on the shores of the Dead Sea.

"The West has offered Israel political, economic and military support and it now holds all the means of power... but despite that it fears for its future as a non-Arab country surrounded by 400 million Arabs," he said.

"I believe that we Arabs must be able to look into this issue and try to ease those fears that Israel has through initiatives and real deals between us and Israel," he told a panel discussing geopolitics.

The panel's moderator, journalist Hadley Gamble, interrupted him to ask if the best solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "recognising Israel and its right to exist".

The minister said no.

"Not recognising, but we want them themselves to feel that there are no threats to their future."

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, whose country is the only Arab nation along with Egypt to have a peace treaty with Israel, dismissed the remarks saying "the issue is that there is an occupation" of Arab land.

"The Arab world has recognised Israel's right to exist. The Palestinians themselves recognised the Israeli right to exist... that is not the issue," Safadi told the panel.

"The issue is that there is an occupation. Is this occupation going to end or not?

Israel, Safadi said, must "withdraw from Arab lands occupied since 1967 and allow" the creation of a Palestinian state. "This is the issue," he said.

"If they (Israel) say they are not comfortable, that is not my problem," said Safadi.

"The problem is not with Arabs giving assurances... the problem is with Israel doing what is right for peace," he added.

"Israel... is not doing the right thing. Actually it is doing more of the wrong things by suffocating Palestinians," the Jordanian foreign minister said, referring to the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip.

"Gaza, is probably as you heard many times, the world's largest prison," he added.

In recent months, Israel has been courting Gulf Arab states.

In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met one-on-one with Bin Alawi at an international conference in Warsaw, attended by officials from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

In October last year, Netanyahu held surprise talks with Oman's Sultan Qaboos in Muscat -- raising Palestinian fears of a normalisation of ties.

Last year Bin Alawi told a regional conference in Bahrain it might be "time for Israel to be treated the same (as states in the Middle East) and also bear the same obligations".

Bahrain endorsed the remarks which at the time were said to be aimed at moving the Israeli-Palestinian "narrative from intractability to a new focus of pragmatism".

Related Articles:

Thousands of Israelis rally for peace talks with Palestinians

Pea-sized gesture: Arabs, Jews who share hummus get discount

"Peace in Israel"

The Israel Channelings (13) - Sep/Oct, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

Tel Aviv - ISRAEL (2) - Oct 8, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)
The PEACE choir - Pineal tones - Oct 10, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

The Final 2015 Kryon Tour - Oct 11, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)




"THE BRIDGE OF SWORDS"– Sep  29, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… What have we told you about the bridge? Actually, not much except that in crossing the bridge, the old energy ones were not going to like it. Old energy does not want you to escape! Old energy doesn't want you to cross the bridge because it can't cross. Did you know that? It can't cross. The old paradigms of Human nature that you've known all of these millenniums have to stay on the old side of the bridge. It cannot cross, for the bridge rejects all that is not in love, compassion and light. Those things that are dark, including Human nature of the past, will not be able to go. But the ones I speak to right now are already on the bridge. That was your design, old soul, and those are the words that are ringing in your ears to this day and the ones given at the wind of birth, that this might happen in your lifetime. So what's going to happen next?

Swords

Let us talk about the swords: When you hear the word sword, the first thing that occurs to you is battle. The Bridge of Swords is a battle and we told you that as well. Swords are metaphoric and they mean many things, so let us describe the things we mean them to say to you.

Number one: They are indeed a weapon in a battle. There is a battle coming. "Kryon, does that mean there's going to be a war?" Potentially, yes. Right now we will tell you that the Middle East cooks itself. You've noticed, haven't you? What do you know about the Middle East, dear one? Let's start examining things for a moment. What energy did you grow up in? What was the energy of the Middle East? In the '40s, what was the energy? With the establishment of the state of Israel, you built a wall of hate, both sides. The wall was so thick that the children of both sides were taught to hate one another as soon as they were able to understand the language. They were told who their enemies were. Now, where were you then?

Some of you weren't here yet. By the time you arrived, in your youth, were you aware of the Middle East? Not particularly. "What's the hatred about?" you might ask. What if I told you it's about a family feud? Two sons of a Jewish master are involved. One founded the Arabs and one remained a Jew. They don't want to hear this, but they are all Jews. (Don't tell them this.)

If you look at the lineage, it's pretty obvious and yet it's a complete and total set-up for either solution or war. The set-up would have this world ending in a conflagration that would have been brought about by this hatred. That's in the prophecy of Nostradamus and your scripture, but it is no longer the prophecy of the planet. Yet the hatred still exists. The hatred is as great today as it was then, but where was all the terrorism 40 years ago? It was isolated.

Those in Israel and Palestine and surrounding areas took the brunt of it, but now it's seemingly everywhere - and you're worried. Why would this be? The answer is that the old energy was happy to have this hatred contained, for it would keep it going and never involve outsiders. Outsiders tend to bring unwanted light to the party. Suddenly, the whole earth is involved and can see the entire scenario before them. The old guard wants war, just like all the eons before them. The ones on the bridge are holding the light and showing the earth how to cross. Even many younger ones in Israel and Palestine and Iran are holding light! It's all around the old guard and they are furious, for they are losing the "battle of hatred." …”

With US ties frayed, Saudi calls for Gulf union

Google – AFP, Acil Tabbara (AFP), 9 December 2013

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince

 Saud al-Faisal during a joint press conference on November 4, 2013 in Riyadh (AFP/

File, Fayez Nureldine)

Manama — With its decades-old US alliance strained over the Syria war and a nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia is calling on the Gulf monarchies to unite for their own self-defence.

US Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel has assured Gulf states that the agreement struck between major powers and Iran on November 24 will not affect the presence of some 35,000 US troops in the region.

But in a speech at the Manama Dialogue security forum in Bahrain, Saudi Assistant Foreign Minister Nizar Madani said "Gulf countries should no longer depend on others to ensure their safety."

The oil-rich monarchies "must unite under one political entity in order to face internal and external challenges," said the minister.

Riyadh has called for an enhanced union with fellow Gulf Cooperation Council states Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which together account for 40 percent of the world's oil reserves and a quarter of its natural gas.

Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief

Prince Turki Al Faisal attends the 9th IISS

regional security summit in the Bahraini

capital Manama on December 8, 2013 

(AFP/File, Mohammed al-Shaikh)

"All countries have realised that blind dependence on a foreign power is no longer acceptable. GCC countries must decide their own futures," said Madani.

Saudi Arabia, long wary of Tehran's regional ambitions, has reacted cautiously to the nuclear deal reached in Geneva, saying it could mark the first step towards a comprehensive solution for Iran's nuclear programme "if there are good intentions."

The interim deal would curb Iran's controversial nuclear activities in exchange for some sanctions relief, and is aimed at buying time for negotiating a comprehensive accord.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal suggested that the GCC states join the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany.

Western nations have long suspected Iran of covertly pursuing nuclear weapons alongside its uranium enrichment programme -- charges denied by Tehran -- and the United States has not ruled out military action to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Faisal stressed that the Sunni-dominated monarchies would immediately be affected by any regional military conflict or radiation leak, while accusing Shiite Iran of duplicity in its relations with its Arab neighbours.

"Iran addresses us with broad smiles, while at the same time their man in Lebanon accuses Saudi Arabia," Faisal said in reference to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who blamed the kingdom for a twin suicide attack on the Iranian embassy in Beirut last month, which killed 25 people.

Iran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, and the Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiite militias are battling alongside his forces against the Sunni-led rebels, who are supported by Riyadh.

US accused of failing Syria rebels

Saudi Arabia has accused the United States of turning a blind eye to the bloodshed in Syria, which has killed an estimated 126,000 people since March 2011.

"The world sits as a spectator in front of the massacres against the Syrian people," said Faisal, the influential Saudi royal who served in the past as ambassador in Britain and the United States.

It is "necessary to provide the reasonable Syrian opposition with means to defend themselves," which the "United States does not do," he said.

"The Saudis blame the United States for imposing a veto on any delivery of heavy weapons or anti-aircraft batteries to the Syrian opposition, allowing the regime to maintain an upper hand using its airforce," a Syrian opposition member said.

Saudi Arabia did not hide its anger after US President Barack Obama stepped back from punitive strikes against Syria over a chemical attack in August on a rebel-held district near Damascus.

But for Faisal, the US-Saudi alliance, which dates back to a meeting aboard the USS Quincy in the Suez Canal in 1945 between the kingdom's founder King Ibn Saud and US president Franklin Roosevelt, "is not over."

Both leaders had at the time agreed that Washington would help secure the kingdom in exchange for oil, but circumstances have changed, with the United States expected to become the world's top oil producer in 2015.

"We had our differences in the past," Faisal told AFP. "And today we have differences on certain issues, but we agree on others."

Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah speaks at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in

Kuwait.  (REUTERS/Stringer)

Related Articles:

Gulf States fear losing power after Iran deal - New

UAE leader accepts invitation to visit Iran
Iran reaches out to rivals in Gulf monarchies

This image released by the Emirates News Agency, WAM, shows UAE president
 Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, right, meeting with the Iranian foreign minister,
 Mohammad Javad Zarif in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.
(AP Photo/WAM)

.

Iran reaches out to rivals in Gulf monarchies

Foreign minister Mohammad Zarif has travelled to four Gulf states since his triumph at nuclear talks in Geneva

The Telegraph, Richard Spencer,Middle East Correspondent, 02 Dec 2013

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Photo: AFP

Fresh from his triumphant return from the nuclear agreement in Geneva, Iran's media-friendly foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is making dramatic overtures for better relations with some of its fiercest enemies, the Sunni-led monarchies of the Gulf states.

Mr Zarif visited three of the six Gulf monarchies, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, on Sunday and Monday, fresh from meeting his opposite number from a fourth, the United Arab Emirates, in Tehran last week. The tour came ahead of the next stage in Iran's wider diplomatic rehabilitation today when Britain's newly-appointed charge d'affaires, Ajay Sharma, will visit Tehran to meet his opposite number, Hassan Habibollah-Zadeh.

The Iranian foreign minister called for better ties with Saudi Arabia, Iran's leading rival for influence in the Middle East and the de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world. "I believe that our relations with Saudi Arabia should expand as we consider Saudi Arabia as an extremely important country in the region and the Islamic world," he told reporters.

"We believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia should work together in order to promote peace and stability in the region."

He also expressed a hope that he would be able to visit Riyadh - though this is an invitation the Saudis, who are especially distrustful of Iran's new "moderate" face and of the Iranian nuclear deal in particular, seems in no hurry to make.

Related Articles

• Iran plans London meeting with European oil majors 01 Dec 2013
• Rouhani hailed as Iran's answer to Obama 30 Nov 2013
• How safe is our world? 01 Dec 2013
• Hassan Rouhani's music video 30 Nov 2013

Saudi Arabia, like Israel, is still smarting over Iran's new international diplomatic acceptance. Both believe that Iran is being duplicitous over its promises to downgrade its nuclear programme and that in any case it has no intention of pulling back from its "interventionist" policies across the Middle East.

For Israel that means its backing for Islamist groups in Gaza, and Hizbollah. For Saudi Arabia, that means its promotion of Shia causes across the region, and in particular the decision to use its Revolutionary Guard and Iran-supported militias like Hizbollah to defend President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

"If they really want good relations with Saudi Arabia this is a very important issue for the Gulf Co-operation Council," said Mustafa Alani, of the Gulf Research Centre, which is close to Riyadh. The GCC comprises the six Gulf monarchies.

The British envoy, meanwhile, is expected to also make a visit to "British diplomatic facilities", Mr Habibollah-Zadeh said, presumably the British embassy, whose ransacking by a mob of student protesters two years ago led to London breaking off diplomatic relations.

Related Articles:

Rohani's 'Yes We Can' Moment

World powers, Iran clinch 'historic' nuclear deal

North Korea powerbroker 'dismissed'

Israel's Herzog calls for 'brave' steps in peace talks

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa, Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

“…  I want you to watch some countries. I don't have a clock [this statement is Kryon telling us that there is no time frame on his side of the veil, only potentials]. I'll just tell you, it's imminent [in Spirit's timing, this could mean as soon as a decade]. I want you to watch some countries carefully for changes. You're going to be seeing changes that are obvious, and some that are not obvious [covert or assumptive]. But the obvious ones you will see sooner than not - Cuba, Korea [North], Iran, of course, and Venezuela. I want you to watch what happens when they start to realize that they don't have any more allies on Earth! Even their brothers who used to support them in their hatred of some are saying, "Well, perhaps not anymore. It doesn't seem to be supporting us anymore. "Watch the synchronicities that are occurring. The leaders who have either died or are going to in the next year or so will take with them the old ways. Watch what happens to those who take their place, and remember these meetings where I described these potentials to you. …”

Oman's sultan pardons dissidents who were jailed for defaming him

Qaboos bin Said al Said issues royal pardon to estimated 50 protesters in effort to salve unrest inspired by Arab spring

guardian.co.uk, Reuters in Muscat, Friday 22 March 2013

Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman has sought to ease public discontent with
a variety of populist policies. Photograph: Stefan Zaklin/EPA

The sultan of Oman has pardoned all dissidents who were jailed for defaming him or taking part in protests, in the latest effort to defuse unrest inspired by the Arab spring.

Oman's state news agency did not say how many prisoners would be freed, but activists say courts sentenced at least 50 dissidents to jail terms of up to 18 months last year.

"His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has issued a royal pardon for those convicted of defamation, information technology crimes and unauthorised rallies," the agency said.

Last week a court freed eight activists who went on hunger strike in February saying they had been sentenced unfairly. The court ordered a retrial.

In recent months the government has sought to ease public discontent by announcing plans to limit the number of foreign workers and sharply raise the minimum wage for citizens in a drive to increase their employment.

Oman, which sits on the Strait of Hormuz through which about 40% of the world's seaborne oil exports passes, has also pledged to create tens of thousands of public sector jobs. But delays in implementing the promises have kept protests simmering, with some anger focused on the 72-year-old sultan.

Related Articles:

Author pardoned for insulting Thai monarchy

Thai king pardons US man jailed for royal insult

Dutch Queen Beatrix calls headscarf row 'nonsense'

BBC News, 12 January 2012

Related Stories 

• Netherlands cabinet gets go-ahead
• Wilders verdict stirs up Dutch debate
• Profile: Geert Wilders

The queen was said to have heaved
a deep sigh over the row

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has dismissed as "real nonsense" a domestic political row over her wearing of a headscarf while on a trip to the Gulf.

She was reacting to questions in parliament tabled by Geert Wilders's Freedom Party (PVV) which claimed she "legitimises the oppression of women".

Queen Beatrix wore a gown and headscarf first on Sunday on a visit to Abu Dhabi and again on Thursday in Oman.

Her officials said she had acted out of respect for Islamic tradition.

During Thursday's visit to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in the Omani capital, Muscat, the queen wore a red shawl over her hat while Princess Maxima who was accompanying her also had her head covered.

Dutch TV said that by also wearing gloves, the queen had covered herself even more than in Abu Dhabi.

The PVV, an anti-Islam party that props up the Dutch minority government without being part of the coalition, described her wearing of a headscarf on Sunday as a "sad spectacle".

Reporters with the royal party in Muscat on Thursday described the queen as heaving a deep sigh, while saying she was not surprised by the row.

Princess Maxima also spoke out, according to Dutch media, pointing out that two-thirds of students in Abu Dhabi were women.

Although the queen regularly speaks to the Dutch press at the end of a royal tour, her frank remarks about a domestic political party are being seen as unprecedented.

Queen Beatrix, who is in Abu Dabi, wore a headscarf when
she visited the Sheikh Zayed Mosque.  (Photo: ANP)

Related Articles:

Prime Minister Rutte backs queen's remarks

Queen Beatrix of Netherlands defends decision to wear headscarf on state visit

Queen’s headscarf causes row

Queen Beatrix wears headscarf again

Queen Beatrix on state visit in Abu Dhabi

Probe called into death of Indian maid at Oman airport

BBC News, By Sadat-Ahmed Bakir, BBC Tamil, 13 October 2010

Rights group Amnesty International has called for a probe into the death of an Indian maid who was stranded at Muscat airport for five days.

Ms Lumada was forbidden from leaving the confines of
the airport

Forty-year-old house maid Beebi Lumada reportedly became mentally stressed during her ordeal last week.

She died of a seizure while on her way to hospital on Friday.

Ms Lumada was travelling from Muscat to Madras on a Qatar Airways flight. But she lost her passport while in transit and was sent back to Oman.

Amnesty said that her case raised "serious concerns" that need to be investigated by Oman and the Indian embassy in Muscat.

"She was shabbily treated and they owe it to her family to explain the exact circumstances of her death," an Amnesty spokesman told the BBC.

Indian embassy officials in Oman have refused to speak to the BBC about the case. But in comments made to the local press, they have admitted to "lapses" in dealing with it.

'Cardiac arrest'

Ms Lumada was not allowed to leave Muscat airport as she did not have a passport. Efforts by Qatar Airways to find her employers in Oman came to nothing.

A Qatar Airways spokesman said that they alerted the Indian embassy on 4 October and were given repeated assurances - not fulfilled - that officials would come and visit the stranded passenger.

The woman was reported by witnesses in the airport to have been extremely stressed during her stay in the transit lounge and worried that she may have to remain there indefinitely.

"Severe mental stress could have caused her cardiac arrest", a senior doctor in Oman is quoted as saying.

Indian Embassy officials in Muscat refused to speak to the BBC's Tamil service about the case.

But India's Ambassador to Oman, Anil Wadhwa is quoted by newspapers in Muscat as saying that he regretted that "procedural delays" resulted in "delayed help for the stranded passenger".

The embassy says that it tried to issue the maid with an emergency passport, but could not do so because the airline did not provide her details.

The embassy says that arrangements have now been made to send the body of Beebi Lumada back to her relatives in India.

Related Articles:

Exporters, activists at odds over migrant worker protection

Saudi Arabia urged to suspend Sri Lankan recruitment

UAE advises Indonesia to sign FTA with GCC

Abu Dhabi (ANTARA News) - The United Arrab Emirates (UAE) has proposed to Indonesia to enter into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE M Wahid Supriyadi said.

"Singapore already has an FTA with the six-nation GCC and Malaysia is in the process of establishing the link with GCC," Supriyadi told Indonensian journalists in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

He said the UAE had made the proposal through its foreign trade minister, Sheikh Lubna Al Qarini, at a meeting with Indonesian Trade Minister Mari E Pangestu in Dubai early this week.

The UAE had made the same proposal to ASEAN member countries when their finance ministers, including Indonesia`s Sri Mulyani, held a roadshow in the Middle East recently, he said.

The GCC groups six Gulf countries, namely UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain. The six countries have a combined population of 40 million.

"Since the onset of the global financial crisis, Gulf countries have become interested in doing business with and investing capital in Asia. Indonesia should use this opportunity," said Supriyadi who has been in UAE post for 11 months.

Speaking about the prospects of widening the market of Inonesian goods in the Middle East in general, the envoy said an "Indonesian Festival" was held in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries in cooperation with Lulu Hypermarket, the largest hypermarket chain in the UAE which also had 74 branches in the Middle Eastern region.

Supriyadi said the GCC had also concluded an FTA with India and was negotiating another FTA with Europe.

He said during her one-day visit to Dubai earlier this week, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari E Pangestu met with her Somalian counterpart, Abdi Rashid Mohamed Abdi, to discuss efforts to step up trade relations between their two countries.

IOTC drops plans to limit tuna fishing

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 04/06/2009 2:59 PM

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) concluded its 13th annual meeting last week with a deal to drop a plan limiting fishing capacity, following opposition from key member countries, including Indonesia.

Indonesian delegation head Suseno Sukoyono told The Jakarta Post on Sunday the commission had decided to review the plan as members from developing countries believed it would destroy their fishing in-dustries, saying limiting catches would give little room for the industry to grow.

Suseno also said Indonesia, whose fishing industry is comprises mostly traditional fishermen, opposed the plan because it would "endanger the livelihood" of the small businesses.

"It would be detrimental should the commission apply the policy; we would be severely affected," he said.

IOTC executive secretary Alexandro Anganuzzi said during the opening of the meeting that the commission would discuss the limitation of fishing capacity with its member countries.

He added the commission had been concerned with the fact that tuna feedstock in the region was being overfished.

However, as the meeting progressed, the plan, initiated by the European Union, was strongly opposed by other countries, including Australia, which is also worried about disruptions to its fishing industry.

Australia is the IOTC member with the biggest exposure in the Indian Ocean.

Other opposing countries included Oman, Mauritius and India.

Besides delaying the catch limit policy, the meeting also agreed to postpone a plan to limit fishing fleets, as data and proposal from member countries remained incomplete.

Suseno also said it had been agreed during the meeting to retain Anganuzzi as the commission's executive director for the next three years.

"It's our strategy to protect the interests of developing countries, as Anganuzzi represents the FAO *Food and Agricultural Organization*," he said.

The IOTC is an intergovernmental organization under the auspices of the FAO. It has 28 members, including Australia, the UK, Japan and the EU representing the interests of developed UN member states, while Indonesia, Iran and India are among those representing developing ones.

Previously, there was also a proposal to discuss the possibility of the IOTC being separated from the FAO.

However, the proposal was dropped due to opposition from developing countries, Suseno said.

Indonesian representative Nilanto Prabowo said a separation from the FAO might lead to increased control of the organization by developed nations.

The IOTC manages tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjoining seas, with the main objective of promoting both cooperation among members and the sustainability of tuna resources.

Indonesia is the 27th member of the IOTC.

According to the commission, the region produces more than 1 million tons of tuna annually, worth between US$3 billion and $5 billion.