RI not on al-Qaeda network list

JAKARTA: Indonesia is not on the U.S. list of the 45 countries where Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist networks operate.

The list was on the pamphlet that the American embassy in Jakarta released as part of its observance of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Indonesia, along with Malaysia and the Philippines, has been singled out by the western media as one of the Southeast Asian Countries where Bin Laden and al-Qaeda have contacts and support.

Washington has accused Bin Laden of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks that killed some 4,000 people in America.

The 45 countries on the list are: the U.S., Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Britain, Ireland, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Australia, Russia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Albania, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bosnia, and Eritrea.

The others are: the Philippines, India, Iran, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Egypt, Pakistan, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and Jordan.

The pamphlet, which has been published in other countries, contains a statement by President George W. Bush about America's determination to wage war against terrorism. --Antara