The Indonesian Tennis Association (Pelti) has asked the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to move its Fed Cup World Group II playoff against host Israel in mid-July to a neutral third country, the Jakarta Post said on Thursday.

"Since we do not have diplomatic ties with Israel, we can't go there. We have officially requested the ITF to move the venue to any neutral country," Pelti deputy secretary-general August Ferry Raturandang said here on Wednesday.

The ITF announced the draw on Tuesday, with Indonesia scheduled to meet Israel, which earned a promotion playoff as a winner in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I, where it beat Serbia Montenegro 2-1. Other matches to be held in the playoff are between Canada and Argentina, Slovakia and Thailand, and Switzerland and Australia.

Indonesia must win the match to stay in World Group II after its 4-0 loss to China last week in the women's team tennis event.

Ferry said Pelti did not recommend a third country, but recalled past encounters with Israel in Italy in 1974 and Japan in 1981.

"We leave it to the ITF to decide which country will host the match," he said.

Ferry added that Pelti also sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry, with copies going to the State Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports and the National Sports Council, about the issue.

Indonesia lost both its previous encounters with Israel in the World Group stage of the Fed Cup.

In 1974 in Naples, Italy, Indonesia, represented by Lany Kaligis and Lita Sugiarto, lost to Israel 2-1. In Tokyo in 1981, the Indonesian squad of Suzanna Anggarkusuma (current Fed Cup nonplaying captain), Yolanda Sumarno and Lita Sugiarto were beaten by Israel 3-0.

Source: Xinhua