Time for U.S., Indonesia to unite on terrorism<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri's trip to the
\nUnited States (U.S.) is the best moment to show the world
\nIndonesia's commitment to becoming part of the global effort to
\ncombat terrorism, an observer said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Megawati's U.S. visit is taking place at a time when the two
\ncountries, as well as other parts of the world, are facing
\nterrorism, said political analyst Kusnanto Anggoro of the Centre
\nfor Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).<\/p>\n
\"Of course, there are many issues to talk about, but the main
\nconcern will be one of terrorism,\" Kusnanto told The Jakarta Post
\nhere on Monday.<\/p>\n
Megawati left Jakarta for the U.S. on Monday for a week-long
\nvisit. Meeting president George W. Bush and addressing the UN
\nwill be top of her agenda.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said on a separate occasion
\non Monday that Indonesia would cooperate with any countries to
\ncombat global terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia wants to see concrete benefits from international
\ncooperation,\" he said, as quoted by Antara, after seeing off
\nMegawati at Halim Perdanakusuma airport.<\/p>\n
Megawati and her entourage, which included her husband Taufik
\nKiemas and her daughter Puan Maharani, departed on a Garuda
\nIndonesia Airbus A330 airplane.<\/p>\n
Megawati will be among the first foreign leaders to visit the
\nU.S. after the terrorist attack on Sept. 12 on the World Trade
\nCenter in New York and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto, however, emphasized the visit would have symbolic
\nmeaning, saying that other issues, particularly economic ones,
\nhad earlier been discussed by leaders of the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"From the era of Megawati's predecessor president Abdurrahman
\nWahid, the basic premise in diplomatic talks has remained the
\nsame, namely economic recovery and maintaining national
\nintegrity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Concerning bilateral relations, Kusnanto said there would, of
\ncourse, be give and take between Indonesia and the U.S. In this
\ncase, he said, the U.S. government would likely aim at gaining
\ndiplomatic and political support for its campaign against
\nterrorism from Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population
\nin the world.<\/p>\n
Asked whether the presidential visit would be against the
\nprinciple of Indonesia's \"free and active foreign policy\",
\nKusnanto said, \"Terrorism has nothing to do with the Cold War era
\nsetup of the Western bloc versus the Eastern bloc. Neither does
\nit relate to religious faith or ethnicity. Terrorism is a
\ntransnational problem\".<\/p>\n
Hassan also stressed that terrorist threats had become a
\nglobal threat, with Indonesia being no exception.<\/p>\n
He pointed out the involvement of foreign terrorists in the
\nrecent attack on Atrium Plaza in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian police have found foreign links between the
\nAtrium Plaza bombing and the bombing of churches on Christmas eve
\nlast year in major cities across Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Don't think that cases such as the Atrium bombing are an
\nordinary crime. There are political motives behind them,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In a new twist, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker
\nAmien Rais, who had openly been opposed to Megawati's trip,
\ncalled on the public to give its support.<\/p>\n
\"Let's give our moral support to Megawati. Hopefully, there
\nwill be something useful to be brought home despite the depressed
\natmosphere,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Amien had earlier called on Megawati to call off the U.S. trip
\non the grounds that American leaders were still overcome with
\ngrief and anger at the terrorist attacks on their icons of power.<\/p>\n
\"We must give the President our moral support because her
\ndeparture was a state decision. We wish her well.\"<\/p>\n
But Amien remained skeptical of whether the visit would be
\nproductive because American leaders were still in a state of
\nshock. (08\/23)<\/p>",
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