RI vows support for anti-terror accord

RI vows support for anti-terror accord

Agence France-Presse, Bandar Seri Begawan

Indonesia fully supported a counter-terrorism agreement between Southeast Asian countries and the United States, a senior official said on Monday, saying Jakarta was wrongly perceived to oppose the pact.

"From the Indonesian government's perspective, from the very beginning we were open to the idea of having such a declaration," said R.M. Marty, spokesman for Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda. He said an incorrect perception had been built "that we are in the way, or against it".

Indonesia is among the 10 Association Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which have drawn up an "ASEAN-US Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism" to be signed with the United States at regional security talks in Brunei later this week.

The draft agreement -- which if approved could translate into intelligence sharing, technical cooperation and joint efforts to cut off terrorist financing -- has had to be revised to appease the concerns of Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country.

A paragraph understood to have been proposed by Indonesia said ministers would affirm that in fighting terrorism at the global level, the United Nations should play a major role.

The document also states terrorism will be viewed "in all its forms" and committed "by whomsoever" in an apparent effort to remove the impression that only Islamic militants commit acts of terror.

Marty said Indonesia was not concerned about the possibility the United States would play too great a role in the region or that cooperation with Washington would raise eyebrows among its Muslim-dominated population.

"We don't want to overplay that concern. Most Indonesians would judge what the government does in terms of its national interest. It's not a religious issue," Marty said.

He also downplayed concerns that Southeast Asia could become a haven for followers of Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network.

"The Southeast Asian region has been portrayed as somehow being a place for all these (terrorists)," Marty said.

"This kind of designation has not been one we are familiar with. Southeast Asia has never in the past been associated with such a trend or such a perspective. And we felt that in any case it's far from the truth."

Asked whether the ASEAN-U.S. agreement would help improve the region's image and win back investors, Marty said: "We reach an agreement not really to change our image. We do it because we feel it will serve our interests."

He said it was never the intention of the agreement to allow U.S. troops to be stationed in the region.

But he said how the agreement was implemented "depends on each individual country on how they would like to proceed."

Technical cooperation with the United States could mean U.S. funding for an ASEAN database on terrorist activities.

ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.