RI says no to U.S. demand for no-fly zone for Bush's visit
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian government rejected on Friday the United States' request for a no-fly zone at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, for nine hours when U.S. President George W. Bush makes a brief visit to the resort island next week.
Indonesian Minister of Transportation Agum Gumelar said Jakarta would implement standard measures for securing visits by heads of state, including Bush's upcoming stopover in Bali.
"We apply similar standard procedures for visits by foreign leaders, so there will be no special treatment for President Bush during his planned visit," he was quoted by Antara as saying.
Bush is slated to visit Bali for four hours on Oct. 22 as part of his Southeast Asian tour after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok on Monday and Tuesday.
It was reported earlier that Washington wanted the Bali airport to be closed to flights three hours before Bush's arrival and two hours after he takes off.
However, Agum could not confirm whether there was a formal request from Washington for the no-fly zone in Bali. "Should there be such a request, we will say we will comply with the standard treatment for any head of state," he remarked.
Indonesian presidential palace staff have been discussing what they call the difficult U.S. requests for Bush's security.
Jakarta and Washington have been coordinating closely to ensure his safety during his stopover.
The government has said it will deploy 5,000 police officers and station four U.S.-made F-16 warplanes and four warships around Bali.
Due to the limited time for the visit, Washington has reportedly suggested that a meeting between Bush and President Megawati Soekarnoputri be held near the airport.
Also for security reasons, the U.S. demanded that only a small number of media people be allowed to cover a joint press conference by the two presidents.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa also declined to confirm Washington's reported requests, saying both governments were discussing details of Bush's visit.
"We will accommodate their requests in accordance with the standard security procedures applied for visits by foreign heads of state," he said.
Marty said Indonesian welcomed Bush's plan to visit Bali, but would not go overboard to make it happen.
The spokesman further said that in her upcoming bilateral talks, Megawati would tell Bush that the most effective way to fight global terrorism was by enforcing legal procedures and respecting human rights.
"We have taken concrete action that complies with the principles of human rights and laws. There should be no short- cuts in fighting terrorism," he remarked.
Agence France-presse reported that the U.S. was holding 660 suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners for indefinite periods at a military detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without charge or trial.
Marty also said that soured military relations between Indonesia and the United States, and the regional issues including the Iraq and Palestine conflict, would also be among the points of discussion.
"They (Megawati and Bush) are also interested in discussing the Timika incident," he said, referring to last year's ambush in Timika, Papua province, which in two Americans and one Indonesian were killed.
U.S. Human rights activists have campaigned for the arms embargo on Indonesia to be maintained following the Timika ambush near American gold and copper mine PT Freeport Indonesia.
On Friday, around 50 people staged a rally in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, rejecting Bush's visit.
During the brief visit, Bush is also scheduled to hold talks with moderate local Muslim leaders -- Hasyim Muzadi of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Syafii Maarif of Muhammadiyah, Jakarta's State Islamic University (UIN) rector Azyumardi Azra and noted preacher Abdullah Gymnastiar.
However, Gymnastiar has shunned the meeting with Bush to protest the U.S.' unpopular foreign policies on Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan and other countries.