Bob Dole hits Bill Clinton on Asian connections

Bob Dole hits Bill Clinton on Asian connections

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Agencies): Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole demanded Monday that President Bill Clinton answer questions on his links to Asian businessmen and their contributions to Democratic party coffers, Reuters reported.

Speaking to reporters in Kansas City, Dole joined other Republicans who have criticized donations to the Democrats from foreigners, including Indonesian billionaire James Riady, highlighting the potential impact on Clinton's foreign policy.

"We're going to raise the questions every day until the president's properly responded," Dole said.

"Not some slip, slide and duck, Mr. President. Just answer the questions," the Republican candidate said before boarding a plane for San Diego, where he and Clinton hold their second and final presidential debate today.

Dole noted his campaign had issued a press release raising questions on the donations, and said the president should respond "immediately".

"There are a whole lot of problems here that have been raised," Dole said. "Taking money from a foreign nation. They gave it back when somebody caught them, but why did they do it? Why did he (Clinton) meet with these people?"

"Did it have any impact on the policies in East Timor?" he continued, referring to the former Portuguese colony which was incorporated into Indonesia in 1976 and where human rights questions have been raised.

"They do raise serious questions about campaign contributions, about influencing U.S. foreign policy," Dole said.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Clinton was preparing for the debate, the president dodged questions on the foreign donations. "It's election time," was Clinton's sole response.

Clinton's campaign press secretary Joe Lockhart issued a statement saying Dole had obviously rejected advice that he keep clear of personal attacks.

"In this moment of desperation, it's clear that Senator Dole has decided to ignore the advice of his own running mate Jack Kemp, Colin Powell and several former colleagues from the Senate," Lockhart said.

Dole did not specifically say whether he would bring up the foreign donations in the San Diego debate, but at an earlier rally he promised to get tougher with Clinton than he was in their first face-off on Oct. 6.

Clinton's ties to the Riady family, owner of the widely diversified Lippo Group, have been fiercely attacked by Republicans in recent days.

Republicans suspect Riady's influence is behind big contributions to the Democratic Party from individuals with links to the Lippo Group.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that investigations were "unavoidable" into an Indonesian couple's $425,000 contribution to the Democratic Party, and another donation from a South Korean company that the party returned after media queries on it.

Neither James Riady nor anyone else from the Lippo Group have been available to comment on the issue.

Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the Bakrie Group, said in Jakarta yesterday that he did not see anything wrong with the campaign contribution because it was channeled through an American company.

"If the contribution had come from one of James' companies in Indonesia, then it would have been wrong," Aburizal, the chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Antara.

But the money came from Riady's company incorporated in the United States and that is perfectly normal, he said.

A foreign company which is based in Indonesia could make contribution to local causes if it wanted to, he said.

"If Freeport makes a contribution to the Irian Jaya provincial government, that is exactly what we want," he said, referring to PT Freeport Indonesia, the American mining giant operating in the eastern province of Irian Jaya.

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