U.S. concerned at extremists in Indonesia

U.S. concerned at extremists in Indonesia

Agencies, Washington

U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his astonishment at the misunderstanding in the Muslim world, including Indonesia, of the U.S. attacks on Afghanistan.

During a press conference on Thursday, Bush commented on the ongoing anti-U.S. demonstrations in Pakistan and Indonesia:

"How do I respond when I see that in some Islamic countries there is vitriolic hatred for America? I'll tell you how I respond. I'm amazed. I'm amazed that there's such misunderstanding of what our country is about that people would hate us. I am, like most Americans -- I just can't believe it because I know how good we are. And we've got to do a better job of making our case."

"We've got to do a better job of explaining to the people in the Middle East, for example, that we don't fight a war against Islam or Muslims. We don't hold any religion accountable. We're fighting evil. And these murderers have hijacked a great religion in order to justify their evil deeds. And we cannot let it stand."

The United States is deeply concerned about the presence of Islamic extremists in Indonesia and the Philippines who may be linked to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, a senior official said on Thursday.

However, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said there was not yet any plan to expand the U.S.-led war on terrorism, now targeting Al-Qaeda and Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia, to Southeast Asia.

On Indonesia, Armitage did not address any possible antiterrorist cooperation but said the United States did remain concerned with so-called "sweeps" of Americans that radical Muslims there say are now underway.

"I am aware of Al-Qaeda and others attempting to use the unrest in Indonesia to cause their own trouble, and that does concern us," he said.

He said that after initial concerns about inadequate police protection for the U.S. Embassy and other U.S. interests in Jakarta, Washington was now pleased with the level of security as demonstrations against airstrikes in Afghanistan persist.

Armitage said Secretary of State Colin Powell had spoken on Wednesday to Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri to thank her for beefing up the police presence at the embassy.

Powell "expressed to her our feeling that, thus far, the police had done a very good job in providing security after what we thought was a slow start, and the secretary was able to thank her for that, and he got the assurance that would continue," he said.

The Times ran a report on Wednesday quoting an unnamed official as saying the three countries -- the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia -- faced possible U.S. covert action as Washington hunts down terrorists linked to Osama.

Indonesia is seeking clarification of the report, which cited an unnamed U.S. official.