U.S. urges int'l community to help RI fight terrorism
U.S. urges int'l community to help RI fight terrorism
Agence France-Presse, Sydney, Australia
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on Wednesday urged the international community to assist Indonesia on the road to economic and political reform so it can help rid Southeast Asia of terrorism.
In a speech to the Asia Society in Sydney, he also called on Australia to play a leading international role in the fight against terrorism.
Speaking just eight days after the Islamic terrorist attack on Jakarta's JW Marriott Hotel, Armitage said that world powers must stand together to rid Southeast Asia of terrorism.
"This is a time when the world community needs to help restore Indonesia's faith in herself, certainly by cooperating in counterterrorism and law enforcement efforts," he said.
But they also needed to engage "across the board", particularly by helping Indonesia along the road to economic and to political reform, and in so doing to denying the terrorists the safe haven they often sought.
Armitage, who is visiting for talks with Prime Minister John Howard and key ministers, paid tribute to Australia's current role in heading a stabilization force in the Solomons Islands and to its regional leadership in general since the Bali bombings.
But he said Australia was now a "global power" which carried with it important roles and responsibilities and as such it had to take a leading role in fighting international terrorism.
His remarks followed a warning by Australia's spymaster, backed by Howard on Wednesday, that another devastating terrorist attack is now inevitable.
Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) director- general Dennis Richardson said in a speech delivered privately to newspaper editors last week but released publicly this week that it is now a matter of time before another catastrophic terrorist attack.
"The fact that we are in close alliance with the United States and the fact that we were early and actively engaged in the war on terrorism does contribute to us being a target," he said in an address to editors.
Richardson said the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States had created a climate of "real fear" in the United States.
"There is genuine concern that a catastrophic attack is a certainty and only a matter of time -- a point on which I'm inclined to agree," he said.
Armitage rejected the suggestion by Richardson that Australia's close links with the United States made placed it at increased risk.
"I think you are a target because you're a free, open, democratic society who feels that everyone should have a fair go, including women," he said. "I think every facet of Australian life is a threat to what Australia stands for."
Howard said on Wednesday that he agreed with Richardson about the possibility of a terrorist attack at home or abroad.
"We will do everything we can to stop it occurring but I can't promise any guarantee that it won't occur," he said.
Armitage also weighed into the continuing international controversy over the so far unsuccessful search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, saying that merely highlighted how easy it was to move and hide them.
But he was adamant the weapons would ultimately be found. "The fact that it has taken this long to find the evidence is a chilling reminder that these programs are far too easy to move and far too easy to hide," he said.