Indonesia negotiates access to Hambali: U.S. envoy Black
Indonesia negotiates access to Hambali: U.S. envoy Black
Associated Press, Jakarta
U.S. law enforcement personnel are in Jakarta to discuss a request by Indonesia for access to Hambali, a leading terror suspect who is in American custody, the U.S. State Department's top antiterror official said.
Cofer Black, U.S. ambassador at large for counterterrorism, said U.S. law enforcement personnel who traveled to Indonesia last week with U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft had remained in the country to address the Indonesian request.
"The access issue is important to the Indonesians. General Ashcroft assured (Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri), assured the Indonesian officials the United States wanted to work with the Indonesian government," he told The Associated Press.
"Attorney General Ashcroft came with a number of legal personnel and law enforcement personnel and they have remained here. We have put them in contact with the appropriate officials on the Indonesian side to work this matter through. We are moving ahead."
Police officers were not available on Sunday to confirm Black's statement.
Indonesia has been seeking to interrogate Hambali, an Indonesian whose real name is Riduan Isamuddin, hoping his testimony could help it apprehend and convict other suspects.
Hambali, the alleged former operations chief of the al-Qaeda- linked terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), was arrested in Thailand last August and is being held by the United States.
Police investigators have accused JI of carrying out a series of terrorist attacks in the country, including the deadly Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2002 and the JW Marriott Hotel bombing on Aug. 5, 2003. Over 200 people were killed in the two incidents.
During his visit to Bali for a regional antiterror conference, Ashcroft urged Asia-Pacific nations to bolster their cooperation in the antiterror fight but said he was "not able to give a specific timeframe" for granting Indonesia's request to see Hambali.
U.S. officials have said privately that it would be premature to allow others access to Hambali because he was still being questioned for information that could help prevent more attacks or lead to more arrests.