INDONESIA: U.S. President George W. Bush shrugs off Indonesia protests, gets Iraq advice

U.S. President George W. Bush wrapped up a gruelling Asia tour on Monday (November 20), shrugging off angry anti-American protests in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and receiving some advice on exiting Iraq from his Indonesian counterpart. Bush was greeted by Indonesian officials and the U.S. ambassador at Halim military airport in the capital Jakarta before boarding a helicopter for the brief flight to Bogor, the scenic hill town where he met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Bush held talks with Yudhoyono in the former Dutch colonial Bogor Palace, and presided over a roundtable discussion with Muslim and non-Muslim civic leaders. "Here's living proof right here. He ran a campaign, he said vote for me, I will do the following things - he's following through on those promises. The elections were open, the elections were clean, the elections were fair, and you elected a good president. He's working hard .. and it's a tough job," said Bush, during the joint news conference with Yudhoyono. Outside the locked-down town centre, about 1,000 anti-U.S. protesters ignored monsoon rain and thunder to chant anti-Bush slogans in front of Bogor's telecommunications centre after breaking through an outer ring of police barricades. A reporter saw some 10 to 20 protesters from among a group of 200 engage in a shoving match with police, but it did not get out of control. Groups ranging from radical Islamists and traditional shamans to leftist students and political parties have staged rallies across the country for several days to protest against the visit. In Jakarta, even punk-rockers took to the streets in protest of Bush's visit. More than 100 members of Jakarta's punk-rock club protested outside the United Embassy in the capital, chanting anti-Bush slogans and holding placards saying "Satan Bless You" and "War is Bushit". Many Indonesians are angry over U.S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which they consider attacks on Muslim nations. But Bush shrugged off the protests. "I applaud a society where people are free to come and express their opinion. And to Indonesia's credit, it's a society where people are able to protest and say what they think. It's not the first time by the way where people have shown up and expressed their opinion about my policies. But that's what happens when you make hard decisions," Bush replied when asked about the protests. On the issue of troops in Iraq, Bush said he has not made a decision yet on whether to increase or decrease the number of troops. "I haven't made any decisions about troop increases or troop decreases and won't until I hear from a variety of sources including our own United States military. As you know General Pace is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and he is in the process of evaluating a lot of suggestions from the field and from various commanders from the Pentagon And they will be bringing forth these suggestions and recommendations to me as quickly as possible but , so I no need to comment on something that may not happen but if it would happen, I will tell you the upsides and the downsides," Bush said. A Pentagon panel has outlined three basic options for improving the situation in Iraq -- pull out, send more U.S. troops or reduce the size of the force but stay longer, The Washington Post reported on Monday. The group was likely to recommend a combination of a small short-term increase of U.S. troops and long-term training for Iraqi forces, the newspaper reported, citing senior defense officials. For his part, Yudhoyono said achieving Iraqi national reconciliation, involving other parties and progress in rebuilding the war-shattered nation should decide the timetable for U.S. troops to leave. Bush has adamantly opposed setting a specific timetable for withdrawal. Jakarta and Washington are in accord on many issues, but some Bush policies, especially in the Middle East, are widely unpopular in the country of 220 million, 85 percent of them Muslims, and the government has consistently criticised the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The Indonesian president said it was also important to involve other parties in Iraq and to get the international community involved in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq once the U.S. troops have departed. "We have to involve other parties. We have to deploy or employ new set up of security forces in parallel with some day, based on a proper timetable, the disengagement of U.S. military forces and other coalition forces from Iraq and of course the third track also is, not to be neglected, is how do the international community work together in conducting reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq after the conflict. So I think we have to combine all three solutions before actually the United States can determine what the possible policies to be developed in the future in order for the withdrawal and disengagement of US forces in Iraq." Bush faces growing pressure for a change of tack in Iraq with his allies urging him to approach Washington's adversaries Syria and Iran to help stabilise Iraq. Many Indonesians are angry over U.S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, which they consider attacks on Muslim nations. With security concerns paramount, Bush was staying only about six hours in Indonesia, the last stop of an Asia tour that included visits to Singapore and Vietnam. Aside from the Middle East, the leaders will discuss topics ranging from education and poverty to fighting bird flu and anti-terrorism cooperation.

ITN Source | November 21, 2006

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