Boyce dismisses report of U.S. military plan in RI

Boyce dismisses report of U.S. military plan in RI

Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

U.S. Ambassador Ralph L. "Skip" Boyce dismissed on Thursday
American press reports which said that Indonesia could become the
next target of the U.S. military campaign against international
terrorism after Afghanistan.

"If there was a compelling reason for the United States to
take action in Indonesia, we would first consult with the
government of Indonesia," Boyce told a luncheon organized by the
Jakarta Foreign Correspondents Club at the Mandarin Oriental.

"Unilateral action is not the way to go," he said in his first
public appearance since he began his post in Jakarta last month.

He was responding to recent press reports out of Washington
suggesting that the United States might expand its military
campaign beyond Afghanistan.

Quoting sources in the Pentagon, the reports listed Indonesia
with Iraq, Sudan and the Philippines as possible targets in the
campaign to hunt down Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network,
which Washington blamed for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Responding to a question, Boyce declined to publicly speculate
whether the al Qaeda had already made inroads into Indonesia.

But he pointed out that the United States, until two months
ago, had been a fertile breeding ground for terrorist groups, and
he alluded to similarities between his country and Indonesia in
terms of geographical size and the relative openness towards
foreign visitors.

"I cannot answer your question, but it would be a fallacy to
assume that Indonesia is exempted," he added.

The Indonesian government, in compliance with a UN Security
Council resolution, has ordered the central bank to freeze the
assets of organizations suspected to have links with the al Qaeda
group. So far, however, no firm action had been taken against any
accounts.

Boyce said he believed that the government of Indonesia
"remained in sync" with the U.S.-led coalition in fighting
terrorism, even if Jakarta had demanded that Washington stop its
military campaign in Afghanistan.

"We don't agree on every thing, like the bombing, but we can
agree to disagree between friends," he said.

Asked on his assessment of the situation in Indonesia, in view
of the U.S. government warning to Americans not to visit
Indonesia, he said the embassy would make further evaluations in
the first days of the Ramadhan fasting month.

The reference to Ramadhan came because of warnings from senior
Indonesian officials about the repercussions in Indonesia if the
U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan continued during the Muslim
holy month, which gets underway on Saturday.

Boyce said one of his immediate priorities in his new job
would be to explain to the Indonesian public about the U.S.
campaign against international terrorism.

He invoked what he called "public diplomacy" of getting access
to the average person in Indonesia.

"This is a high priority for me, second only to looking after
American citizens," he said.

The ambassador earlier on Thursday met with representatives of
19 Islamic groups, including several who had been vocal, if not
intimidating, in their criticisms of U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

Boyce welcomed Indonesia's offer to join a United Nations
peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, but ruled out any U.S. funding
for the Indonesian military, citing an existing congressional
ban, dating back to the East Timor problems in 1999.

When asked if he would follow in the footsteps of his
predecessor, Robert S. Gelbard, in speaking out or in being blunt
in his criticisms of his host government, Boyce quipped: "I'm not
going to speak out bluntly about my predecessor."