Mega tells Bush to be cooperative, but fails to speak about Hambali

Mega tells Bush to be cooperative, but fails to speak about Hambali

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, New York

President Megawati Soekarnoputri held bilateral talks with United
States President George W. Bush here on Tuesday to discuss
bilateral cooperation in fighting global terrorism.

During the 30-minute meeting on the sidelines of the United
Nations General Assembly in New York, Megawati said the sharing
of information between countries was necessary to ensure the
success of the campaign against terrorism.

"President Megawati stressed that there should be more
transparent and sincere cooperation between countries in sharing
information and other data on terrorist suspects," Indonesian
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said here on
Wednesday.

Megawati's statement comes as Indonesia seeks direct access to
question Hambali, the suspected leader of terror group Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) who is currently in U.S. custody.

"Although they (Megawati and Bush) did not specifically
mention the Hambali issue, we underlined the need for them to be
honest in sharing such intelligence information," the minister
said.

Hambali, who was born in Cianjur regency, West Java, is a key
suspect in 39 bombings across Indonesia, including the 2000
Christmas Eve blasts, the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2003 JW
Marriott Hotel attack.

The U.S. is reportedly reluctant to allow the Indonesian
Police to question Hambali. The Indonesian government has said
this reluctance will hamper its efforts to destroy the JI terror
network in the country.

Indonesia has repeatedly lobbied for access to Hambali,
including during the recent meeting between Indonesian
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in
Washington.

"Washington continues to remain aloof in responding to our
request, and during the meeting President Bush did not say
anything in response to our statement," Hassan said.

On the Palestinian issue, Bush asked Megawati to support
efforts to end the Middle East conflict.

Addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Megawati urged
major world powers to tackle the root causes of terrorism by
reviewing the way they deal with conflicts, particularly in the
Middle East.

While condemning terrorism in any form, she was quoted by AFP
as saying it was "difficult to refute" the impression held by
many Muslims around the world that current policy toward the
Middle East was "not only unjust, but also one-sided" in favor of
Israel.

Aside from terrorism, Megawati and Bush also discussed the
development of the investigation into the Timika shootings which
claimed the lives of two Americans and one Indonesian last year,
Hassan said.

"President Bush underlined that the case may hamper the
restoration of military-to-military relations between the two
countries, as the (U.S.) Congress will continue to focus on the
case," he said.

The minister said Indonesia had asked the U.S. government to
follow up on an investigation by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation into the case.

Megawati also invited Bush to make a stopover in Jakarta
during his journey to attend the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum in Thailand.

Several officials in Megawati's office said there were ongoing
preparations in Jakarta for a brief visit by Bush to Bali on Oct.
22.

Megawati ends her New York visit on Wednesday and will
continue her journey to Tunisia and Libya.

Before flying to Tunis, Megawati will hold bilateral talks
with Pakistan's prime minister to discuss terrorism, including
that country's recent arrest of two Indonesians suspected of
terror links. One of those arrested was Hambali's brother.

"This is purely between Indonesia and Pakistan. Currently we
are seeking direct access to provide legal assistance to the
(detained) Indonesians," Hassan said.

During her meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan on Tuesday, Megawati discussed the Myanmar issue. The UN
has urged the immediate release of prodemocracy leader Aung San
Suu Kyi.

"As the president of the ASEAN grouping, Indonesia would like
to see the immediate settlement of the Myanmar issue and we
discussed this problem during the meeting," Megawati said.

The President said she and Annan had an excellent discussion
on several issues, including the reform of the UN.

Hassan said he had yet to receive a report from special envoy
Ali Alatas on his visit to Yangon.

"ASEAN ministers will discuss the issue here on Monday," he
said, adding that he was also scheduled to meet with the UN
special envoy to Myanmar on Wednesday.