Wolfowitz rules out direct U.S. attack on RI

Wolfowitz rules out direct U.S. attack on RI

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While confirming that Indonesia is listed among those
countries targeted in the ongoing United States'-led war against
international terrorism, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D.
Wolfowitz has ruled out any direct attack on the country he once
served as ambassador.

In an interview published by The New York Times on Tuesday,
Wolfowitz lumped Indonesia with Somalia, Yemen and the
Philippines in the group of countries where terrorist
organizations still find sanctuary.

In Indonesia, Islamic groups have fought with Christians in
Sulawesi and Maluku, areas where the government "is extremely
weak," the former U.S ambassador to Indonesia said.

"You see the potential for Muslim extremists and Muslim
terrorists to link up with those Muslim groups in Indonesia and
find a little corner for themselves in a country that's otherwise
quite unfriendly to terrorism," he said.

"In the case of Sulawesi, the concern is there isn't enough
military to protect the local population or to create the kinds
of stable conditions that keep terrorism down."

He said that while Indonesia had expressed a willingness to
crack down on terrorists, the government there was fearful of
causing a violent backlash among its large Muslim population.

Wolfowitz said the United States was prepared to provide
assistance, though the Pentagon was under restrictions about
conducting certain joint exercises with the Indonesian Military,
which has been accused of human rights abuses.

Those restrictions, he said, "really need to be reviewed in
the light of Sept. 11".

He said it was unlikely, however, that the United States would
consider direct military action in Indonesia, "because it's such
a big and disparate place".

Wolfowitz, who has a reputation as one of the more aggressive
members of President Bush's war council, suggested that the
Pentagon could opt to put off the bigger and politically more
difficult targets in the war on terrorism like Iraq, and
therefore avoid conflict with some of its most important Arab and
European allies, which have been leery about taking on Baghdad.

Instead, he said, the military was now engaged with friendly
countries like the Philippines that would welcome American help
in ridding themselves of terrorist networks.

The Pentagon is also looking hard at possible terror bases in
countries like Somalia and Yemen that are weakly governed and
ill-equipped to uproot them, he added.

Wolfowitz said that America's devastating bombing campaign in
Afghanistan had already persuaded many nations that have
supported terrorism to change their ways, according to Reuters.

"I'd say almost everywhere one has seen progress," he said. "A
lot of that progress is motivated by the sense of American
seriousness and the fear of getting on the wrong side of us."

Iraq, however, has shown no signs of opposing terrorism, he
said, adding that while President Saddam Hussein "is keeping his
head down these days, that should not leave the impression that
he doesn't continue to do a bunch of things that concern us".

Wolfowitz said that Somalia, perhaps more than any other
place, fitted the bill of a lawless state that drew terrorists
like a magnet.

"Obviously Somalia comes up as a possible candidate for Al
Qaeda people to flee to precisely because the government is weak
or nonexistent," Wolfowitz said.

But the Times said he acknowledged that U.S. options were
limited in Somalia, where, he said, "by definition you don't have
a government you can work with".