|
Rice to meet with Indonesian leaders
US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, scheduled to arrive in Jakarta this evening, is expected focus on political issues, particularly the war on terrorism, during talks with Indonesian leaders.Rice begins her schedule on Tuesday, when she will meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and top ministers for talks that will also centre on building democracy and regional security, according to Indonesian officials. Indonesia is considered a close ally of the US in anti-terrorism efforts in the Southeast Asian region. Last week Rice said Washington also sought Jakarta's help in breaking the political impasse in the Middle East, following the radical Muslim militant group Hamas' upset victory in Palestinian elections. Bilateral ties, which have been strained in the past over the situation in East Timor, improved after the massive US aid effort to survivors of the December 2004 tsunami, which left some 168,000 Indonesians dead or missing in the western province of Aceh. Washington signalled it wants closer relations with Indonesia last November when it eased a six-year-old embargo on military sales to the world's most populous Muslim nation. The embargo had been imposed because of human rights abuses by the Indonesian military. The US was Indonesia's largest supplier of military equipment and weapons before the ban. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said on Monday that the two sides will also look to strengthen business and political ties. Rice is also scheduled to visit an Islamic school in Jakarta and she might hold talks with religious leaders in the country, he added. Meanwhile, the chief of the Indonesian armed forces, Air Marshal Joko Suyanto, said Rice's visit to the country would be used to boost military cooperation between the two countries, including discussing the US's International Military Education and Training programme for the Indonesian officers. Government officials said Indonesia may raise the case of Hambali, an Islamic militant preacher believed to be a senior leader of al-Qaeda-linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, accused of masterminding the October 2002 bombings on Bali which killed at least 202 people, mostly foreign visitors. Indonesia has repeatedly requested permission to question Hambali, who has been held by US authorities since 2003, and called on Washington to deport him to Indonesia to stand trial on terrorist charges. Rice's visit to Indonesia is part of her tour of several countries, including Chile and Australia. In early January the top US diplomat cancelled a planned trip to Indonesia and Australian due to the illness of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-03-13 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=145313 |