Powell to attend ASEAN meetings after U.S.-EU, NATO summits<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Washington<\/p>\n
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will attend annual Southeast
\nAsian security talks early next month in Indonesia despite a
\ntravel warning from his own department.<\/p>\n
Powell will visit Indonesia after accompanying President
\nGeorge W. Bush to summits in Ireland and Turkey, the State
\nDepartment said Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Powell will participate in the July 1-2 ASEAN Regional Forum
\n(ARF) and post-ministerial meetings in Jakarta for \"discussions
\nof regional and transnational issues of mutual concern with our
\nfriends in Southeast Asia,\" spokesman Richard Boucher said.<\/p>\n
He will travel to Indonesia from Turkey and Ireland, after
\naccompanying Bush to the June 28-29 NATO summit in Istanbul and
\nthe United States-European Union summit at Dromoland Castle in
\nNewmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare June 25-26, Boucher told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
The 23-member ASEAN Regional Forum includes the 10 Association
\nof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, other Asia-Pacific
\nstates, Russia, the European Union and the United States.<\/p>\n
The United States State Department warned on Wednesday that
\nthe al-Qaeda terror network's Southeast Asian chapter could stage
\nattacks, including on Western targets, to disrupt Indonesia's
\npresidential elections.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will hold a presidential election on July 5 and a
\npossible presidential runoff election on Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
\"The Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and other similar terrorist groups
\nmight use these elections as opportune occasions to conduct
\nattacks,\" according to an updated U.S. State Department travel
\nadvisory.<\/p>\n
\"The potential remains for violence and terrorist actions
\nagainst U.S. citizens and interests throughout the country,\" it
\nsaid, urging Americans to defer all non-essential travel to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian governments say the JI is the regional chapter
\nof Osama bin laden's al-Qaeda network.<\/p>\n
It was blamed for bombings that killed or injured American
\ncitizens at a major international hotel in Jakarta in August 2003
\nand at Denpasar, Bali in October 2002.<\/p>\n
The latest U.S. travel advisory also said that Washington
\ncontinued to receive information that JI and other extremist
\ngroups might be planning additional attacks against American and
\nother Western interests in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Since security has increased at official US facilities, it
\nsaid, terrorists could seek \"softer\" targets.<\/p>\n
The targets cover areas where Americans and other Westerners
\nlive, congregate, shop or visit, including hotels, restaurants,
\nshopping centers, housing compounds, places of worship, schools,
\nor public recreation events.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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