BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Aug. 1 — Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said today that terrorists can be attacked only from "the highest moral plane" and that there is no contradiction between the Bush administration's war on terrorism and a continuing U.S. commitment to human rights.
"The United States feels strongly about these sorts of issues and believes that if we are really going to prevail — over this plague on the face of mankind — then we have to do it in a way that respects human dignity," Powell said at a news conference at the end of a two-day security summit of Asian and Pacific Rim nations.
Concerned that Southeast Asia's Muslim-majority nations provide fertile ground for the growth of terrorist organizations, the administration has been eager to establish closer security and intelligence ties, particularly with Malaysia and Indonesia. Yet the United States also has criticized both countries for repressing political dissent and abusing human rights.
Powell signed agreements here with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on increased cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Washington and among ASEAN members, as well as stepped-up diligence against terrorist financial networks.
"The goal is to squeeze out the groups that are here and to make sure this area doesn't become a haven for terrorism," said a senior State Department official.
Indonesia, where Powell was to arrive tonight on the penultimate stop of an eight-nation Asian tour, is seen as key to that effort. Although it is thought to be the headquarters of various militant groups including the Jemaah Islamiah organization, which has been linked to al Qaeda and is accused of plotting to blow up several Western embassies in Singapore, Indonesia has failed to arrest militant leaders, saying it has no evidence against them.
Malaysia and Singapore, which have arrested dozens of alleged Jemaah Islamiah members, including some Indonesians, have urged the United States to resume military assistance to Indonesia to help bolster its anti-terrorist actions. The United States restricted aid in the early 1990s because of human rights abuses, and Congress cut it off altogether in 1999, after the Indonesian military's violent campaign in East Timor.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, and President Megawati Sukarnoputri faces political constraints in moving against militant Islamic groups. Elections are scheduled for 2004.
The Bush administration is eager to restore military ties and stiffen Megawati's spine. Powell said today he expects "to discuss military-to-military cooperation" during a full day of meetings here Friday.
Although the U.S. budget for this fiscal year contains $400,000 for military training for Indonesia, the funding is restricted to providing instruction for civilians. The emergency counterterrorism fund approved by Congress last month included $16 million for Indonesian police training.
Late last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to lift restrictions on another $400,000 in training funds in next year's budget.
Congressional sources said the Pentagon intends to make available for Indonesia about $4 million out of an unrestricted $17 million earmarked for foreign military counterterrorism training in this year's budget.
On the issue of human rights, Powell noted that "I always touch on the subject" and that he expected to do so in Indonesia. Powell has said he believes military abuses in such countries as Indonesia can be reduced through increased contact with U.S. forces.
Although today's news conference was attended by ASEAN foreign ministers as well as those of a number of Pacific Rim countries who also attended the meeting, nearly all the questions were directed to Powell.
Asked whether his brief meeting here Thursday with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun was inconsistent with President Bush's designation of North Korea as part of an "axis of evil," Powell said the session was "quite consistent with U.S. foreign policy."
Pyongyang was included on the "axis" list, along with Iran and Iraq, he said, because of North Korea's "involvement in developing weapons of mass destruction and proliferating missiles and other systems that could carry weapons of mass destruction." Bush was also concerned, Powell said, about North Korea's 700,000-member conventional force, much of it massed on the border with South Korea.
The January designation, Powell said, did not supersede Bush's call in June 2001 for a new dialogue with North Korea. Recent positive statements from Pyongyang, he said, suggested that a meeting with Paek "would be appropriate for me." Powell said he would consult with Bush and national security officials on the next step with Pyongyang.
Although Paek announced after the meeting that Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly was planning a trip to Pyongyang in the near future, a State Department official said that no decision had been made.
Powell has been asked repeatedly by reporters in the region whether increased security cooperation indicated the United States planned to station troops in Southeast Asia.
He said that the agreement signed today with ASEAN was not a basis "for any increased military presence in the region or any stationing decisions that might be made."
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