Bush happy with Indonesia's war on terrorism<\/p>\n
Agencies, Washington\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
U.S. President George W. Bush telephoned his Indonesian
\ncounterpart Megawati Soekarnoputri on Wednesday to congratulate
\nher on her country's success in fighting terrorism, the White
\nHouse said.<\/p>\n
"The president emphasized his appreciation for Indonesia's
\nexcellent work in counterterrorism cooperation, including the
\ninvestigation of the Bali bombings," said spokesman Ari
\nFleischer.<\/p>\n
"He thanked President Megawati for her government's efforts to
\nensure the safety of Americans working in and visiting
\nIndonesia," he was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.<\/p>\n
"And the two presidents discussed the situation in Iraq and
\nagreed that (Iraqi leader) Saddam Hussein must disarm in
\naccordance with his (UN) Security Council obligations."<\/p>\n
Details of the phone call however are sketchy. "It was a
\nprivate conversation," spokesman to the Indonesian Ministry of
\nForeign Affairs Marty Natalegawa told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
One of the other times the two leaders held a telephone
\nconversation was a week after the Oct. 12 terrorist attack in
\nBali last year.<\/p>\n
Megawati told Bush that she would seek "swift and decisive"
\naction against the terrorists. Two bomb blasts flattened a
\nrestaurant and a disco frequented mainly by foreign tourists. At
\nleast 202 people died, most of them Australians.<\/p>\n
Authorities said the culprits were guerrillas of Jamaah
\nIslamiyah, a regional group said to be linked to the al-Qaeda
\nnetwork that carried out the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and
\nWashington.<\/p>\n
But while Indonesia has gone tough on terrorists at home,
\nIraq's alleged terrorist links have been of little use in trying
\nto secure some level of support here for Washington's war plans.<\/p>\n
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce has said that his
\ngovernment understood Indonesia's position toward the Iraq crisis
\nand did not expect its support for war.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bush-happy-with-indonesias-war-on-terrorism-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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