RI urges countries to solve root issues behind terror acts

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, New York

Amidst the global war on terrorism, President Megawati Soekarnoputri strongly urged all countries to review their counter-terror policy and to give equal treatment to all parties involved in international conflicts as part of actions to eradicate the terrorist threat.

Speaking in front of the 58th United Nations General Assembly here on Tuesday, Megawati aired the grievances expressed by many other Muslim countries, that they suffered from a bad image because they were seen as hotbeds of terrorism.

"In order to prevent, deter or eradicate international terrorism, I would like to propose that the countries that have been the main target of terrorist groups, should review their conventional anti-terrorism policies, particularly in dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict," said the President.

She was likely referring to the United States, Australia and other western countries that support Israel in the prolonged conflict.

"As head of state of the world's most populous Muslim country, I sincerely invite all world leaders to pay attention to this matter. Let us identify the root causes of terrorism to prevent them from spreading and causing the emergence of other unsatisfactory aspirations," Megawati said.

Indonesia is striving to fend off the bad image caused by its own Muslims who have been involved in terrorist attacks, following the Sept. 11 human tragedy in New York and Washington.

Megawati suspected that the existence of the al-Qaeda terrorist network and later on of the Jamaah Islamiyah network, blamed for a string of terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, has given a misperception that the terrorism was related to a certain religion.

Despite the jargon and statements from world leaders, the President said, it was a fact that all those who have been arrested or questioned had been Muslims.

Although Indonesia has supported the global war on terrorism, it has become a victim of terrorist acts and "I want to underline that the root cause of terrorism is the unfair treatment of Muslim countries in many international conflicts."

Megawati stressed that the "unfair and one-sided" handling of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the weapons of mass destruction issue that triggered the recent Iraq war have provided fertile ground for violence.

The United States has vetoed several UN resolutions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, while Western countries have been divided over the strike on Iraq. Russia, Germany and France opposed the coalition's military operation in Iraq.

The President said: "Many eminent Muslim organizations in Indonesia believe that once the major powers behave in a fairer manner and show their impartiality in the Middle East conflict, then most root causes of the terrorism, perpetrated in the name of Islam, and cannot be justified in whatever condition, would have been resolved," she added.

Megawati insisted that Indonesia would remain consistent in its anti-terror campaign and that it had shown to the world how that it was capable of finding the perpetrators of the Oct. 12 Bali bombing and the Aug. 5 JW Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.

She noted that Indonesian police had arrested dozens of people allegedly involved in the two incidents and that two perpetrators of the Bali bombing had been sentenced to death. The police have also arrested dozens of others who were allegedly linked to the two incidents and a string of bomb blasts in the past.

Major Muslim organizations, especially Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah and Indonesia Council of Ulemas (MUI), and most people have condemned the terrorist attacks.

Nevertheless, the President also called for reform in the UN organization, saying the world body should be empowered to build a fair, prosperous and humane world.

"We are indeed in need of fundamental reform. And to that end this organization needs improvement in its performance to enable it to contribute more constructively towards attainment of more peaceful, stable, just prosperous and humane world," she said, referring to her father Sukarno's speech on the same call in the same forum in 1960.

"We must have the courage to review, revitalize and empower its institutions and working methods," Megawati added.

Meanwhile, just outside of the UN complex, dozens of activists from the Information Center for a Referendum in Aceh (SIRA) staged a rally, protesting the ongoing military operation in Aceh.

The group, whose chairperson was recently imprisoned in Aceh for organizing a rally, also demonstrated in Washington over the weekend during the visit of Coordinating Minister for the Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.