Indonesian President, UN Chief Discuss Developments In Gaza

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon held talks on the latest developments in Gaza on Thursday. Both men held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 6th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) set for Aug 29 to 30 in Bali, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported. Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegwa said after the meeting that Ban greatly appreciated the president's efforts to see an immediate end to the Gaza conflict. Indonesian and UN leaders have expressed hope that the ceasefire reached recently in Gaza will be maintained and the root cause of the conflict can be addressed in the near future. Susilo and Ban also discussed ways to promote Gaza's economy and their concerns over pressure from Israel. Besides Gaza, the two men reviewed the situation in Southeast Asia, developments in Syria and Iraq, Susilo's leadership in the framework of the Southeast Asian region and his role in meeting the UN's 2015 Millennium Development Goals, according to Bernama.com