HTML pages designed & maintained by Alifuru67 Copyright © 1999/2001 - 1364283024 & 1367286044		Ambon Island   Ambon City        Latupatti   Want to Help? ASIA PULSE, Wednesday October 10, 2001 Megawati to Face Tough Questions From House Over US Strikes JAKARTA, Oct 10 Asia Pulse/Antara - The Indonesian House of Representatives [DPR] will question President Megawati at a consultative meeting on Friday over the country's political stance she has taken in response to the US-led air strikes on Afghanistan. House Speaker Akbar Tanjung said here on Tuesday the House will have to know in detail the government's stand over the US attack on Afghanistan. Earlier, the government represented by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs SB Yudhoyono read out Indonesia's official six-point stand with regard to the US attack on Afghanistan, expressing the country's concern over the attack and said it will send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. According to Akbar, the House wanted the government to take a clear stand by issuing an official statement on the attack. "If the US air strikes on Afghanistan will escalate in the next few days, the government is urged to adopt a firmer attitude," he advised. Akbar further said a number of matters will also be discussed at the consultative forum, including the national economic recovery in connection to the November APEC meeting, and the handling of Aceh and refugee issues. On a separate occasion, Tri Chahyo Utama, a political observer and lecturer at the Semarang-based Diponegoro University said it was difficult for Indonesia to take a clear stand over the US onslaught. "Taking sides with a certain country will be disadvantageous to Indonesia under the current circumstances, as the step will cause us great losses," Utomo said. The government has recently said that it could not justify a settlement of the terrorist attacks on the WTC twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington by military means which might also cost the lives of a great number of innocent civilians in Afghanistan. Utomo construed the Indonesian political stand not as a support to the US nor as siding with Afghanistan. "The statement, I think, means both a rejection of resorting to military action, and a condemnation of terrorism," he said. Copyright © 2001 Asia Pulse Pte Ltd. Copyright © 1999-2001  - Ambon Berdarah On-Line * http://www.go.to/ambon HTML pages designed and maintained by Alifuru67 * http://www.oocities.org/baguala67 Send your comments to alifuru67@egroups.com