Wolfowitz has high hopes for Aceh<\/p>\n
Riyadi Suparno, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh<\/p>\n
Visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz is
\nstill very much linked to Indonesia, as made evident at a press
\nconference here on Saturday when he expressed hope that the
\ntsunami catastrophe would unite the country, and spoke a few
\nsentences in Bahasa Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Indonesian Air Force base here, Wolfowitz said
\nthe government's quick and massive response to the disaster,
\nparticularly in the relief operation, should open an opportunity
\nfor the Acehnese \"to find that their government, the Indonesian
\ngovernment, is concerned about their welfare.\"<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, it would all depend on whether the government
\nsucceeds in its relief operation to cater for the emergency needs
\nof the people, as well as in the future reconstruction of the
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
In addition, Wolfowitz said, the outpouring of help from
\npeople from other parts of Indonesia should help the Acehnese to
\neventually feel more comfortable to be part of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I am struck by (the words of) several Indonesian friends I
\ntalked to on the phone over the last week, saying that the
\noutpouring of sympathy from Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia is
\nunprecedented, and I hope that with the success of this relief
\nand reconstruction, there can be a similar feeling from the
\nAcehnese people that it's good to be part of Indonesia,\"
\nWolfowitz told foreign and local journalists.<\/p>\n
Accompanied by Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono
\nSutarto, Wolfowitz appeared relaxed during the press conference.
\nWhen a local journalist asked his permission to raise a question
\nin Bahasa Indonesia, the deputy secretary responded in Bahasa
\nIndonesia: \"Saya sudah banyak lupa\" (I have forgotten it a lot)
\nand asked the journalist to speak pelan-pelan (slowly).<\/p>\n
The journalist asked if the U.S. government was prepared to
\ngive debt relief to the Indonesian government for humanitarian
\nreasons following the disaster. Responding to the question,
\nWolfowitz said: \"Life isn't that simple unfortunately.\"<\/p>\n
He noted that the U.S. government had spent quite a lot of
\nmoney to help the relief operation and had committed a large
\namount of money totaling more than US$350 million for the whole
\nemergency operation in the region, the bulk of which would go to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Frankly speaking, we have been doing a lot and are certainly
\nlooking to do more,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he warned that the U.S. presence, including its
\nmilitary forces, in Aceh would not be there for long.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he hoped that the government would meet its three-
\nmonth deadline for ending the role of foreign military forces in
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
As the press conference wound up, Wolfowitz expressed his
\nconfidence that, despite the disaster, there would continue to be
\noptimism for the future. He related this to the fact that
\nmosques, which are so instrumental in the life of the Acehnese,
\nare still standing amid the rubble of buildings in devastated
\nAceh.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe that's a good sign for the future,\" he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wolfowitz-has-high-hopes-for-aceh-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }