Straight from the "horse's mouth" Our leader talks during his last Asian visit. "America is following a new strategy," he said. "We are not waiting for further attacks. We are striking our enemies before they can strike us again." "At the same time, it's very important not to allow a few killers to define Indonesia," he said, adding that he would tell President Megawati Sukarnoputri that "there needs to be a focused, concerted effort to bring people to justice." Some Asian diplomats have expressed concern in recent days that Mr. Bush's affinity for direct language and his determination to turn an economic policy meeting in Thailand into a forum on security issues could backfire, highlighting the president's public image in the region as a leader who is intent on expanding American influence, by military means if necessary. http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?U...com/2003/10/17/international/asia/17PREX.html Of course it doesn't hurt that indonesia is another oil producer and OPEC member.
Speaking of laying pipe, I was just on yahoo.com and they had the new Britney Spears video. Worked out perfect, turned off the sound and watched her and madonna jumping around for 4 mins !!! Obviously I could care less about her music, but I'm a big fan of looking at her and madonna:eek: :eek: I have a strange feeling I'm not the only one on this board that enjoys looking at these two. Enjoy. Now back to the (not so) serious stuff. Vega
Leaders blame U.S foreign policy Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Kuta, Bali Five religious leaders of different faiths told U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday that his foreign policy was to blame for growing radicalism among Muslim communities. The leaders told Bush that if he wanted the support of Muslim countries for his war on terror, his policies would have to change. Muslim leader Syafii Maarif said they told Bush he had to come up with a new paradigm to solve international conflicts if he wanted to stem growing anti-Americanism around the globe. "We told him U.S. foreign policy should seek a new paradigm if the U.S. wants to be respected by the world community and be safe," said Syafii, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization with some 30 million members. During his three-hour stopover in Bali, President Bush met with Syafii, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi, Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra, Indonesian Churches Council chairman Rev. Nathan Setiabudi and Hindu leader Ida Pedande Made Gunung. The meeting, originally scheduled to run for 30 minutes, lasted for almost one hour. During the meeting, the religious leaders told Bush that U.S. policies in the Middle East were one of the main causes of terror attacks. Hasyim said they also told Bush not to equate terrorism with Islam. "Never link terrorism with Islam because it will only open the door to more radicalism. It is not Islam that creates radicalism; it is injustice around the world," said Hasyim, the leader of the country's largest Muslim organization, the NU, with about 40 million members. Hasyim said the use of the word "crusade" by Bush in a speech in the early days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington was proof that Washington related terrorism with religion. "He (Bush) said that it was a mistake (to use the term) and will never do it again," Syafii said. Rev. Nathan said the religious leaders also pointed out that America, as the world's only superpower, should bear the greatest responsibility for making the world a better place. "Like it or not it is a fact that America is the world's most powerful country, but it has to remember that it carries a moral responsibility toward the world," Nathan said. The religious leaders said they came away with a positive impression of the meeting, and hoped that it would have an impact on the decision-making process in the United States. "We see that he (Bush) had the good intention of having a frank and candid discussion with us, although we cannot expect it to change American policy. This is not an overnight process," Syafii said. Azyumardi said Bush seemed to understand the point of view of the Indonesians. During a press conference, President Bush said he was delighted for the opportunity to have the discussion, saying the religious leaders were "sustaining Indonesia's tradition of tolerance and moderation". "Murder has no place in any religion and must find no home in Indonesia," he said, adding that diversity is a source of strength for both Indonesia and America. "Americans hold a deep respect for the Islamic faith, which is professed by a growing number of my own citizens. We know that Islam is fully compatible with liberty and tolerance and progress, because we see the proof in your country and in our own," Bush said. He further said that Washington would provide US$157 million to be disbursed over six years to support elementary education in Indonesia as part of the effort to eradicate radicalism. http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailweekly.asp?fileid=20031023.@01 Indonesian papers tell Bush where to go The view from... Jakarta ... "Bush, go home to hell!" screamed the sensationalist Rakyat Merdeka, above a photograph of protesters outside the US embassy carrying a banner reading "Fuck you Bush!!! Go to hell Amerika!!" ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,1069861,00.html