'Mega's UN speech mere fluff without enforcement, action'<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri's speech before the United
\nNations General Assembly could help Indonesia gain greater
\ninternational support in its war against terrorism, experts say.<\/p>\n
\"I think the speech, especially on the need for multilateral
\ncooperation against terrorism, will be relevant as Indonesia has
\nbeen a victim of terrorism,\" said Smith Alhadar, deputy chairman
\nof the Indonesian Society for Middle East Studies (ISMES) here on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
He added that the speech would demonstrate Indonesia's
\nseriousness in dealing with terrorism.<\/p>\n
Analyst Riza Sihbudi concurred with Alhadar, saying that the
\nPresident's speech would emphasize Indonesia's participation in
\nthe war on terror.<\/p>\n
\"This will certainly show Indonesia's support for the war on
\nterrorism,\" said Riza of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences
\n(LIPI).<\/p>\n
Earlier, former minister of foreign affairs Ali Alatas said
\nthat it was necessary for Indonesia to speak out on terrorism as
\na victim of the crime.<\/p>\n
\"What Indonesia has to say on terrorism will be taken into
\naccount as we are also a victim of the crime both in Bali and
\nJakarta,\" Alatas said.<\/p>\n
\"We have proven that the we are also able to unravel terrorist
\ncases and pursue legal proceedings to punish the perpetrators,\"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Megawati is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly
\nmeeting on Tuesday, in which she will explain the country's
\nefforts so far in fighting terrorism<\/p>\n
Indonesia has rounded up over 40 suspected members of Jamaah
\nIslamiyah (JI) for their alleged roles in both the Bali bombings
\nin October 2002 and the JW Marriott Hotel attack in Jakarta on
\nAug. 5, 2003.<\/p>\n
Two of the key defendants in the Bali attacks, in which over
\n202 people were killed and 300 more injured, have been sentenced
\nto death.<\/p>\n
Cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, whom the United States and its
\nallies believe to be the spiritual leader of JI with links to
\nOsama bin Laden's international terrorist network al-Qaeda, was
\nalso brought to court for treason. His four-year jail sentence,
\nhowever, was much lighter than most of the international
\ncommunity had hoped for.<\/p>\n
Al-Qaeda was blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on the World
\nTrade Center (WTC) in New York and the Pentagon in
\nWashington, .D.C in 2001.<\/p>\n
\"But, I think the death sentences for Amrozi and Imam Samudra
\nwill prove Indonesia's seriousness in fighting against
\nterrorism,\" Alhadar said.<\/p>\n
He said the speech by an Indonesian President would be taken
\ninto account by the international community because Indonesia is
\nthe world's most populous Muslim country and is a victim of
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
He added that the speech would be relevant to remind the
\ninternational community of the terrorism threat.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Riza doubted that the speech by Megawati would get
\nthe attention it deserves because of other issues such as Iraq
\nand Israel.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megas-un-speech-mere-fluff-without-enforcement-action-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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