Clinton calls for calm in Indonesian turmoil

Clinton calls for calm in Indonesian turmoil

LONDON (AP): With growing calls seeking President Soeharto's resignation, President Clinton said yesterday that Indonesia's people should decide who leads the country -- and predicted that the fast-moving situation "may be clearer" by day's end.

"We want this country to come back together, not come apart," the president said after a meeting with European Union leaders.

"We want the military to exercise maximum restraint so there is minimum loss of life and injury."

Clinton said he saw no need now to use U.S. forces to safeguard Americans in Indonesia.

Indonesian House of Representative leaders prepare today to ask Soeharto to step down. House speaker Harmoko said the four factions in the House would meet today to ask Soeharto, who has led Indonesia for 32 years and is Asia's longest-serving leader, to resign.

Clinton advised U.S. reporters "to come back to me in two, three or four hours for comment on things that might be clearer then than they are now."

Though he did not directly call for the president's ouster, Clinton laid blame at Soeharto's feet.

"The absence of a sense of political dialogue and ownership and involvement obviously has contributed to the difficulties there," Clinton said.

"They should decide -- the Indonesian people -- who the leader of Indonesia is," he declared.

"What we're looking for now and what we're going to be working for is the restoration of order without violence, and the genuine opening of a political dialogue that gives all parties in the country a feeling that they're part of it," Clinton said.

After calm is restored, "We're going to do our best ... to try to get them back on the road to economic recovery, because all of us have a big interest in the future success of a country that's done some fabulous things in the last 30 years but have had a very bad few months here," Clinton said.