Bali blast 'strategic failure' by terrorists<\/p>\n
Agencies, Singapore<\/p>\n
International terrorists have suffered strategic losses by
\nlaunching attacks on Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim
\nnations, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here
\non Saturday at the Asia Security Conference.<\/p>\n
Wolfowitz told the meeting of Asia Pacific defense ministers
\nthe struggle against terrorism would be a "long hard fight" as
\nseveral groups remained dispersed worldwide, AFP reported.<\/p>\n
But he said that last October's massive bomb attacks in Bali
\nand the May 13 blasts in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were a blow to the
\nterrorists because they had galvanized these states to act more
\nresolutely against the problem.<\/p>\n
"While the terrorists may regard their attacks as a tactical
\nsuccess, I believe they were a strategic failure," Wolfowitz
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The Bali blasts brought home the message in Indonesia, the
\nworld's most populous Muslim nation, and the rest of Southeast
\nAsia, to take tougher action against terrorism after initially
\nbeing reluctant to confront the problem, he said.<\/p>\n
"It is a strategic failure because it was a wake-up call for
\nIndonesia. It has led to a much greater cooperation within
\nIndonesia in counter-terrorism," he told reporters after his
\nspeech to the conference delegates.<\/p>\n
The attacks also led to a recognition by the Indonesian people
\nthat "terrorists are targeting them and their country and their
\nhopes for democracy and not just targeting the Americans and
\nAustralians".<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Philippines said on the sidelines of the
\nconference it was investigating reports of terrorist training
\ncamps in the south of the country but believes they are small
\n"mobile bases" limited to teaching in the use of explosives.<\/p>\n
The New York Times reported the southern Philippines had
\nbecome the training center for the Jemaah Islamiah network,
\nbelieved by many western governments to be affiliated to Osama
\nbin Laden.<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes told Reuters on the sidelines
\nof that Indonesians arrested for bomb plots in Manila had
\nadmitted to having trained in the camps of the separatist Moro
\nIslamic Liberation Front.<\/p>\n
Asked if such training still exists, Reyes said: "We are
\ntrying to validate that, but we have made arrests in the past and
\nso we are continuing to track them."<\/p>\n
Reyes said that there were no longer any major MILF camps. He
\ndid not mention Jemaah Islamiah, which has been accused of
\nvarious terror plots in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
"There are no more camps. At best, there are mobile bases. I
\ndon't think they have any really sophisticated or prolonged
\ntraining going on. At worst, what we would have would be training
\nin the use of explosives," the minister said.<\/p>\n
The MILF enclave is southern Mindanao island, home to about
\neight million Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.<\/p>\n
Also at the conference, Japanese Defense Minister Shigeru
\nIshiba said that reports communist North Korea may have
\nreprocessed nuclear material were "extremely regrettable and
\nabsolutely unacceptable".<\/p>\n
"I am afraid that further escalation of the situation by North
\nKorea would require tougher measures," Ishiba said, without
\ngiving details.<\/p>\n
In a speech to an Asian security conference sponsored by the
\nInternational Institute for Strategic Studies, Ishiba said a
\npeaceful solution to the nuclear crisis required dialog and
\npressure.<\/p>\n
"The U.S. position that all options should be on the table is
\nan understandable one," he said.<\/p>\n
Japanese officials have repeatedly said Japan lacks the
\ncapability to defend itself from North Korea, which tested a
\nballistic missile over Japan in August 1998.<\/p>",
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