Australia wants action, Bush offers sympathy

Australia wants action, Bush offers sympathy

Agencies, Sydney, Australia

Australia said on Sunday bomb attacks which killed nearly 200 people in the resort island of Bali were proof that the war on terror must go on and called on Indonesia to clamp down on its "terrorist problem".

Two blasts, including one huge car bomb, killed at least 182 people and injured scores more in one of the world's most devastating attacks against tourists.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard spoke to Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri by telephone on Sunday and said authorities from both countries were convinced the bombings had been carried out by what he described as terrorists.

"This wicked and cowardly attack, clearly on the evidence available to us, is an act of terrorism that can have no justification," Howard told a news conference.

Howard said he offered Indonesia medical assistance as well as help from Australian police to track down those responsible but said Indonesia must crack down on its terror problem.

Howard also ordered an urgent review of national security on Sunday following the car bomb attack in Bali.

Many of the victims were foreigners and Howard said Australians must "prepare ourselves as a nation for the possibility of a significant number of Australian deaths".

Hospitals across Australia were put on standby as Royal Australian Air Force medical teams flew to the resort island to assist hospitals swamped by casualties and evacuate urgent cases. Qantas Airways also scheduled extra flights to Bali to ferry Australian holidaymakers home.

President George W. Bush said in a statement released in the White House on Sunday that the explosions in Bali were the result of "a cowardly act designed to create terror and chaos."

"I offer our sympathy to our friends, the people of Indonesia for this terrible tragedy. Our prayers are also with our friends and allies, the people of Australia, who are suffering a grievous personal and national loss," he said.

"The world must confront this global menace, terrorism," Bush said. "We must together challenge and defeat the idea that the wanton killing of innocents advances any cause or supports any aspirations. And, we must call this despicable act by its rightful name, murder."

Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee called on the world on Sunday to eliminate the "cancer" of religious extremism after the Bali blasts.

"My sympathies are with families of the victims. I will remember the serene beauty of this island which I visited last year," Vajpayee said in the letter to President Megawati as quoted by the Press Trust of India.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said on Sunday that Germany was "horrified" by the bomb blast which also injured at least seven Germans.

"The German government is horrified and shocked by the terrible events in Bali in which many people were killed and injured," Fischer said in a statement.

"We cannot rule out that Germans were also killed," he said. "The victims and their loved ones have our deepest sympathies." Fischer called for a quick investigation of the explosion and that those responsible in the crime "must be identified and brought to justice."

Joining the chorus of condemnations of the Bali bomb attack, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Kamran Niaz told AFP: "The government of Pakistan strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Indonesia. Pakistan extends deep condolences to the bereaved families as well as to the Indonesian government."

Niaz said Pakistan was against terrorism in all its forms.

Meanwhile, Japan urged its citizens on Sunday to avoid Indonesia's resort island of Bali after the deadly bomb blast The foreign ministry, in a statement, said at least four Japanese women were injured in Saturday night's bombing. Two were seriously injured although their conditions were not life threatening.

"We have issued special warnings for those who are scheduled to visit Bali, suggesting that they postpone their visits," the statement said.

The ministry warned of possible future bomb attacks in the area, and urged their nationals to stay away from public places elsewhere in the archipelago.

"For those who are going to Indonesia and those staying in the nation, we urge that they avoid public facilities and places where many people gather, such as shopping malls, department stores, restaurants, discos, cafes and religious centers."

The blast prompted the British Foreign Office on Sunday to advise Britons against all travel to Bali and against all non- essential travel to Indonesia.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the attack had been "committed by the most evil and most perverted people who think that some political aim of theirs can be achieved by attacking mainly young people who are enjoying themselves and also in turn contributing a great deal to the Indonesian economy.

Refusing to speculate whether the bomb had been the work of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, Straw said there had been concerns around the world about the number of Indonesian-based terrorist cells.