Jakarta rejects U.S. call to expel Iraqi diplomats

Jakarta rejects U.S. call to expel Iraqi diplomats

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia flatly rejected on Friday the United States' call for
the expulsion of Iraqi diplomats here, saying that ties between
Jakarta and Baghdad was not Washington's concern.

Jakarta firmly stated that there was no need for Indonesia to
suspend ties with Iraq and expel its diplomats.

"There is no need to do so, as bilateral relations are the
concern of the host and the related country," Vice President
Hamzah Haz said.

He said Indonesia's foreign policy, which maintains the
principle of neutrality, would not be swayed by pressure from
outside parties.

Hours after the war in Iraq began, Washington called on all
countries that recognize the current Iraqi government to shut
down that country's diplomatic missions.

Countries were also asked to prevent the destruction of
documents in Iraqi embassies and consulates and to freeze Iraq's
bank accounts so the money could be used by a postwar government.

A spokesman for the Indonesian foreign ministry, Marty
Natalegawa, said no third country had the right to interfere in
Indonesia's bilateral relations with other counties.

This position, he said, was in line with Indonesia's
consistent rejection of unilateral action to disarm Iraq since
the beginning of the crisis last year.

He added that the government had not received a formal request
from Washington to close the Iraqi embassy here.

On Thursday, President Megawati Soekarnoputri strongly
deplored the U.S. strike on Iraq, calling it an act of
aggression.

Although Jakarta said its position would not result in ties
with Washington being severed, it is obvious that Indonesia's
stance will put relations to the test.

Associated Press quoted U.S. State Department spokesman
Richard Boucher as saying on Friday that Iraqi diplomats should
be expelled as they represented a "corrupt and ruthless regime".

Several weeks ago, Washington asked 62 countries, not
including Indonesia, to shut down Iraqi diplomatic missions.

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said through her spokesman
on Friday that Manila had yet to receive a formal U.S. request to
expel Iraqi diplomats, but that Manila would act in keeping with
its national interests.

The Philippines did announce it would deport 11 Iraqis being
held on suspicion of terrorism. The 11 were detained after an
alleged plot by Saddam Hussein sympathizers to attack U.S.
installations in the country was uncovered.

Among those arrested was a suspect in the 1991 attempted
bombing of a U.S. cultural center building in Manila's financial
district of Makati, Philippine immigration commissioner Andrea
Domingo said.

The suspect, identified as Saad Khahamatar T'laa, was picked
up two days ago in southern Zamboanga city. Officials had
previously said he was arrested in Davao city.

The Iraqis were arrested after "intelligence reports confirmed
that terrorist groups sympathetic to the Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein were planning attacks against several American targets in
the country in retaliation for the US-led war against Iraq",
Domingo said.

The Philippines is a key ally of the United States and is part
of the Washington-led "Coalition for the Immediate Disarmament of
Iraq".

In Bangkok, Iraq's embassy remained open on Friday despite the
global call by the U.S. to shut Baghdad's missions and freeze its
assets, as Thailand stressed it had received no such request.

"We are still open," an Iraqi official at the embassy told
AFP, adding that the ambassador remained at his post.

A special branch of the Thai police in charge of foreign
missions also confirmed the embassy was operational.

Three Iraqi diplomats and eight other Iraqis were expelled
from Thailand this week, accused of posing national security
threats to the kingdom.

Thailand's foreign ministry said it had not heard Washington's
latest request to governments worldwide to sever ties with Saddam
Hussein's regime, shut down Iraq's embassies and freeze its
assets until new authorities are in power in Baghdad.

"Thailand has not received any request," ministry spokesman
Sihasak Phuangketkeow said.

"If the U.S. requests that, we have to consider it," he said.
"But how can the assets of the embassy of Iraq be seized? It is
not legal, we have relations."

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department temporarily closed
embassies and consulates in 15 countries on Thursday. The
decision was based on a judgment of the security situation in
those countries by American diplomats there.