Megawati praises Iraqis for defending nation<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri praised on Wednesday the Iraqi
\npeople for their dedication to defending their nation against the
\nU.S.-led invasion, and predicted the war would drag on for a long
\ntime.<\/p>\n
Her comments, however, came after the U.S. military had
\nfurther tightened its grip on Baghdad and as a sudden outburst of
\njubilation from the Iraqi capital's residents took the Americans
\nby surprise.<\/p>\n
"What we are looking at is not the political issues, rather we
\nare seeing a nation dedicated to defending itself," Megawati said
\nduring a ceremony to mark the National Coding Agency's 57th
\nanniversary.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has strongly deplored the attack on Iraq, but fell
\nshort of condemning it when it was launched three weeks ago.<\/p>\n
The coalition of U.S. and British troops met unexpectedly
\nstiff resistance in the early days of the invasion.<\/p>\n
Hopes for a speedy military campaign similar to the 1991 Gulf
\nWar faded amid reports of coalition casualties just days into the
\nwar.<\/p>\n
Megawati said she had made a bet with National Intelligence
\nAgency (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono, a retired general with
\nample battle experience, over how long the war would last.<\/p>\n
"I said it (the war) will be long, so I guess I have almost
\nwon," the President told the gathering. "I think the war will
\ntake a long time, let's see."<\/p>\n
Her comments reflect the general mood here of antipathy toward
\nthe invading coalition forces.<\/p>\n
Protesters from a wide variety of backgrounds took part in
\nnationwide antiwar demonstrations long before the invasion began.<\/p>\n
However, street-to-street fighting in the densely populated
\ncity of Baghdad has so far been avoided, helping to reduce the
\nrisk of a prolonged military campaign.<\/p>\n
The U.S. military's push deep into the Iraqi capital last week
\ncame amid warnings from analysts that the most difficult phase of
\nthe war had begun.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, however, the war appeared to have taken a turn
\nfew had expected.<\/p>\n
In a scene the coalition forces had hoped to see early in the
\nwar but which never materialized, thousands of Iraqis displayed
\ntheir anger toward Saddam Hussein, whose whereabouts remain a
\nmystery.<\/p>\n
Residents of Baghdad took to the streets to celebrate what
\nthey believed was the imminent fall of Saddam's government.<\/p>\n
In the center of the capital, a crowd toppled a giant statue
\nof Saddam with the help of U.S. marines.<\/p>\n
This unexpected development has raised hopes for a quick end
\nto the war and the beginning of aid efforts to relive civilian
\nsuffering.<\/p>\n
Analysts had warned that the coalition forces might get bogged
\ndown in Iraq, with the people resisting military occupation with
\nor without Saddam to lead them.<\/p>\n
Reuters quoted a senior U.S. commander as saying that central
\nBaghdad was secured. "The end of the combat phase is days away.
\nThere may be more combat in the north, but in Baghdad and the
\nsouth the end of the combat phase is days away," said Gen. Buford
\nBlount, commander of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division.<\/p>\n
But despite this growing optimism, political analysts said
\nanti-American sentiment was likely to linger.<\/p>\n
President Megawati expressed disappointment on Monday with
\nwhat she saw as the diminishing role of the United Nations in
\ninternational affairs, and over what she called the return of
\n"jungle law".<\/p>\n
And last week Vice President Hamzah Haz called U.S. President
\nGeorge W. Bush the "king of terrorists".<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-praises-iraqis-for-defending-nation-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}