Bombings draw reactions

Bombings draw reactions

LONDON (Agencies): The reverberations of Sunday's bomb
onslaught in Indonesia are drawing critical reactions from abroad
with Britain saying that it shared President Abdurrahman Wahid's
indignation over the assault.

"I would like you to know that we share your sense of outrage
at the Christmas Eve bombings in Indonesia," British junior
Foreign Minister John Battle said on Tuesday.

"We send our sympathy to all those, Christian and Muslim, who
lost members of their families or who were injured," he added.
"We urge all to work to continue local conflict resolution."

Meanwhile in Washington the United States' State Department in
a travel warning said "the U.S. Embassy has had indications that
this wave of bombings may continue and that U.S. interests may be
targeted."

There was no elaboration.

The State Department further urged U.S. citizens to defer
nonessential visits to Indonesia and all travel to Aceh, Maluku,
Papua and West Timor.

Those Americans who must travel there, or who are already
there, should be extremely careful, the department said.

Bombings of religious, political and business targets have
occurred throughout the country, and there were several dozen
explosions at churches on Christmas Eve ... Serious violence has
broken out in the past year on most major islands, the statement
said.