Boyce denies U.S. interference in RI legal process

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph C. Boyce refuted on Monday allegations that he had intervened in Indonesia's legal affairs in the case of jailed cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

"Our position on Ba'asyir is clear, I don't see there is an intervention, we are not demanding or prescribing a particular outcome to the government of Indonesia. It is an Indonesian matter," Boyce told reporters during a briefing at the embassy on Monday.

"We are confident that the Indonesian authorities can handle this in an appropriate way," he said.

The ambassador said the U.S. respects Indonesia's legal system and his country cannot influence the legal proceedings here. But the U.S. can comment on the outcome of Ba'asyir's case as Indonesia frequently expresses its stance on developments in other countries.

Commenting on the outcome of Ba'asyir's case, Boyce said his actions did not constitute an intervention in Indonesia's legal system.

"It is a normal thing in diplomacy to give an opinion or comment on a particular incident like Ba'asyir's case," Boyce said.

He also said that he had not received a summons from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as yet to clarify his actions in Ba'asyir's case.

"I would be very glad to go to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify or discuss about Ba'asyir's case," Boyce said.

Ministry spokesman Marty A. Natalegawa said on Friday that the U.S ambassador's efforts to influence a number of the country's top leaders in order to extend Ba'asyir's detention could be interpreted as interference in Indonesia's legal process.

Koran Tempo earlier reported that Boyce had met with Muhammadiyah Chairman Achmad Syafi'i Ma'arif to solicit his help in lobbying some Indonesia's high ranking officials, including Police Chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan not to release Ba'asyir.

Muhammadiyah is the Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization.

Boyce said that his meeting with Ma'arif was private in nature.

"But the idea that White House would be sending me on a secret mission to Ma'arif is, frankly speaking, very unrealistic because my job is to represent my country's position," he said.

When asked whether the U.S. government had evidence of the involvement of Ba'asyir in alleged terror attacks, Boyce said that the U.S. was cooperating with the Indonesian authorities.

"This is a legal matter and is still ongoing, we have tried to be cooperative as best we possibly can," he said.

The National Police named on Friday Ba'asyir as a suspect in various terror attacks across the country over the past few years.

With his new legal status, Ba'asyir will be charged under Law. No. 15/2003 on terrorism which carries the maximum punishment of death.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Suyitno said that the police had gathered evidence, including testimony of witnesses in Singapore and Malaysia over the involvement of militant organization Jamaah Islamiah, of which Ba'asyir is the spiritual leader.

Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), a UN-listed terrorist organization has been blamed for the deadly October 2002 bomb attack in Bali and the August 2003 JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta.