Bush shuns RI's request to question Hambali

Bush shuns RI's request to question Hambali

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

United States President George W. Bush has played down
Indonesia's demand to question terrorist suspect Hambali, saying
Washington had to secure as much information as possible from the
man believed to be behind a series of bombings in Indonesia.

In an exclusive interview with television station SCTV on
Wednesday, Bush said that Indonesian-born Hambali was no longer
an issue between the two governments.

"I explained to the President (Megawati Soekarnoputri) that we
would share information and right now the key is to find out as
much as we possibly can. When we get information we will share
it," the U.S. President said.

"I wouldn't say no way, but right now we are going to give as
much as information as we can to make sure that America is secure
and Indonesia is secure," he stressed.

Hambali has been in U.S. custody since he was arrested in
Thailand in August for his alleged role as a top operative of al-
Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), which is on the United
Nations list of terrorist groups.

Hambali was on Indonesia's wanted list for his alleged role in
a series of bomb attacks since 2000, including the Christmas Eve
bombings in 2000, the Bali bombings in 2002 and the J.W. Marriott
Hotel bombing in Jakarta early in August this year.

President Megawati has called Bush personally to ask for
direct access to Hambali, a native of the West Java town of
Cianjur who was born Encep Nurjaman.

While denying Indonesia access to Hambali, Bush said he
expected Megawati to continue to cooperate closely with the U.S.
to bring terrorist suspects to justice.

"What I want her to do is to continue to closely cooperate
with the U.S. and with other countries to bring these people to
justice," he remarked.

Indonesia has sentenced three people to death in connection
with last year's terror attack in Bali and 23 others to between
four years and life.

Bush also hailed the steps Megawati's government had taken in
the global war against terrorism, especially in the handling of
Oct. 12, 2002 Bali bombings, in which American nationals were
among the 202 people killed.

The U.S. President is slated to hold talks with Megawati
during his four-hour stop-over in Bali on Oct. 22 on his way to
Australia from Singapore.

During his stop over, Bush will hold talks with President
Megawati at a not yet determined location near the Ngurah Rai
Airport.

Bush also plans to meet noted Indonesian Muslim leaders:
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi, Muhammadiyah
chairman Syafii Maarif, scholar Azyumardi Azra and preacher
Abdullah Gymnastiar.

He said in his first trip to Indonesia he would like to
explain to Muslim leaders that the U.S. was not as biased as most
Indonesians thought, especially in its foreign policy in the
Middle East.

On the issues of Aceh and Papua, Bush underlined that
separatist problems would be best settled through dialog instead
of a military approach.

"Like in Aceh for example it should be solved by peaceful
negotiation, also in Papua," Bush said.

The U.S. is among the foreign donors that promised funds
needed to finance the post-war rehabilitation in Aceh, which will
only be disbursed if peace returns to the natural-resource rich
province.