Megawati praises Iraqis for defending nation

Megawati praises Iraqis for defending nation

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri praised on Wednesday the Iraqi
people for their dedication to defending their nation against the
U.S.-led invasion, and predicted the war would drag on for a long
time.

Her comments, however, came after the U.S. military had
further tightened its grip on Baghdad and as a sudden outburst of
jubilation from the Iraqi capital's residents took the Americans
by surprise.

"What we are looking at is not the political issues, rather we
are seeing a nation dedicated to defending itself," Megawati said
during a ceremony to mark the National Coding Agency's 57th
anniversary.

Indonesia has strongly deplored the attack on Iraq, but fell
short of condemning it when it was launched three weeks ago.

The coalition of U.S. and British troops met unexpectedly
stiff resistance in the early days of the invasion.

Hopes for a speedy military campaign similar to the 1991 Gulf
War faded amid reports of coalition casualties just days into the
war.

Megawati said she had made a bet with National Intelligence
Agency (BIN) chief A.M. Hendropriyono, a retired general with
ample battle experience, over how long the war would last.

"I said it (the war) will be long, so I guess I have almost
won," the President told the gathering. "I think the war will
take a long time, let's see."

Her comments reflect the general mood here of antipathy toward
the invading coalition forces.

Protesters from a wide variety of backgrounds took part in
nationwide antiwar demonstrations long before the invasion began.

However, street-to-street fighting in the densely populated
city of Baghdad has so far been avoided, helping to reduce the
risk of a prolonged military campaign.

The U.S. military's push deep into the Iraqi capital last week
came amid warnings from analysts that the most difficult phase of
the war had begun.

On Wednesday, however, the war appeared to have taken a turn
few had expected.

In a scene the coalition forces had hoped to see early in the
war but which never materialized, thousands of Iraqis displayed
their anger toward Saddam Hussein, whose whereabouts remain a
mystery.

Residents of Baghdad took to the streets to celebrate what
they believed was the imminent fall of Saddam's government.

In the center of the capital, a crowd toppled a giant statue
of Saddam with the help of U.S. marines.

This unexpected development has raised hopes for a quick end
to the war and the beginning of aid efforts to relive civilian
suffering.

Analysts had warned that the coalition forces might get bogged
down in Iraq, with the people resisting military occupation with
or without Saddam to lead them.

Reuters quoted a senior U.S. commander as saying that central
Baghdad was secured. "The end of the combat phase is days away.
There may be more combat in the north, but in Baghdad and the
south the end of the combat phase is days away," said Gen. Buford
Blount, commander of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division.

But despite this growing optimism, political analysts said
anti-American sentiment was likely to linger.

President Megawati expressed disappointment on Monday with
what she saw as the diminishing role of the United Nations in
international affairs, and over what she called the return of
"jungle law".

And last week Vice President Hamzah Haz called U.S. President
George W. Bush the "king of terrorists".