Hassan Wirayuda meets top U.S. official<\/p>\n
Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda met U.S. Deputy
\nSecretary of State Richard Armitage in Washington on Friday, and
\ndiscussed Iraq, among other issues, as the U.S.'s embassy in
\nJakarta still closed by a security scare.<\/p>\n
Hassan lunched with Armitage, as Secretary of State Colin
\nPowell was at the United Nations in New York, drumming up support
\nfor a harsh Security Council resolution critical of Iraq.<\/p>\n
\"They discussed a broad range of bilateral, regional and
\nglobal political and economic issues,\" said a State Department
\nofficial on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
\"The issues included Iraq, U.S. relations with the Islamic
\nworld, the conflict in Aceh, counterterrorism, the ad hoc
\ntribunal in East Timor and norms for civil military relations,\"
\nthe official said.<\/p>\n
The meeting went ahead after Indonesian President Megawati
\nSukarnoputri was quoted as saying that the United States should
\nnot have closed its embassy because its security was guaranteed.<\/p>\n
\"Such a thing should not have been done,\" Megawati said,
\nquoted by the evening Suara Pembaruan daily.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia as a host will treat its guests well and take good
\ncare of them,\" she said, speaking on Thursday in Egypt, where she
\nwas on a three-day visit.<\/p>\n
The State Department official was unable to say if Armitage
\nand Hassan discussed the embassy closure.<\/p>\n
The U.S. embassy and consulate general in Surabaya have been
\nclosed since Tuesday, the eve of the anniversary of the September
\n11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.<\/p>\n
U.S. officials blamed those attacks on Osama bin Laden's al-
\nQaeda terrorist network, the same network which Ambassador Ralph
\nBoyce linked to the threat against U.S. missions here.<\/p>\n
Washington is concerned Indonesia, the world's most populous
\nMuslim nation, may be home to al-Qaeda sympathisers.<\/p>\n
Most Indonesians practise a moderate brand of Islam. -- AFP<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hassan-wirayuda-meets-top-us-official-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }