U.S. Ambassador satisfied with RI security

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In an apparent damage containment exercise, U.S. Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce met on Wednesday senior government officials irked by his decision to close American diplomatic missions in Indonesia over a terrorist threat Jakarta said it had not been consulted about.

Boyce met first with acting Indonesian foreign minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to explain to him the sudden closure of the U.S. embassy and its consulate in Surabaya.

"I think there was a perception based on a lack of communication, but as we discussed today, the two sides are in complete harmony," Boyce told reporters after the two-hour meeting in Susilo's office.

"We are very pleased with the cooperation we have had, and the reason for our closing is quite clear to the government as well," he said.

Susilo earlier expressed his shock to hear about what he described as the U.S.'s unilateral decision to close the embassy, saying the government should have been told about the threat prior to the closure.

On Tuesday, Boyce said the embassy had received "credible information about a specific terrorist threat" against the embassy and the Surabaya consulate.

The U.S. embassy has since been closed to the public; the third time in the past two years it has been closed for security reasons.

Boyce vaguely linked the threat to the al-Qaeda group, widely believed to have been behind the terrorist strikes on New York and the Pentagon, which killed some 3000 Americans and other nationals a year ago.

His statement came a day before America and other parts of the world commemorated the first anniversary of the terrorist strikes against the U.S. on Sept. 11.

The U.S. State Department said two dozen embassies and consulates were shut down either due to security threats or to allow staff to attend ceremonies in memory of those who died in the attacks, Reuters reported.

Its embassy in Indonesia, however, was the first one to be closed because of security threats. The British mission in Jakarta followed suit, citing precautionary measures.

"Because of the date (Sept. 11) we are all aware when we get information of a threat potentially against our facilities," said Boyce, but added: "We have been satisfied all along with the efforts of the Indonesian security authorities to take care of us."

No details of the threats have been made available although Indonesian National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said U.S. officials told him the threat did not come from inside Indonesia.

"The (embassy's) closure wasn't because of threats from within Indonesia. We would have been surprised if it was," Da'i said.

Boyce later met Vice President Hamzah Haz during the opening ceremony for a seminar on Islam.

The Vice President immediately asked for an explanation from Boyce, noting that the sudden closure of the embassy made Indonesia look bad.

"If they told us about the security problems, of course we would have done something about it. We do hope next time they'll communicate with us about issues like these," Hamzah said.

But international relations expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Philip J. Vermonte, said it was uncharacteristic for Boyce to overreact over a simple threat.

"Boyce is a very careful person, he is very calm but once he has decided something ... then there must be something to it," said Philip, who specializes in transnational crimes.

Police officers on Wednesday cordoned off the U.S. embassy compound, in what would have been an otherwise quite day, had it not been for the election of the city's governor.

Near the embassy, thousands of demonstrators clashed with the police in protest over councillors' moves to reelect Governor Sutiyoso.

East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Sutanto gave assurance that there were no immediate threats against U.S. assets or Americans in Surabaya.

"There are no security threats in Surabaya. However, we have stepped up security measures for U.S. assets here," he said.

Anti-American sentiment in Indonesia has grown since the U.S. retaliated for the Sept. 11 strikes by attacking Afghanistan.

And Indonesia is no stranger to terror, having seen a string of bomb explosions in the capital, and as far away as Poso in Central Sulawesi and Ambon in Maluku, where blasts have been undermining a fragile peace accord intended to end long-running communal clashes.