U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release
February 20, 2003
Statement by Richard Boucher
Deputy Secretary's Meeting with Indonesian Delegation
Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage met today with a ten-person visiting
delegation from Indonesia led by Ambassador Arizal Effendi, Director General for
America and Europe in Indonesia's Department of Foreign Affairs, and including
Indonesia's Ambassador to the U.S., Soemadi Brotodiningrat.
The Deputy Secretary assured the delegation today that the United States
Government understands Jakarta's concerns about the burden that the National
Security Entry Exit Registration System places on Indonesian nationals residing in
the U.S. The Indonesian delegation made a strong presentation on the impact of the
domestic registration program, which requires visiting citizens of Indonesia and 24
other countries to register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service within a
prescribed time period.
The Deputy Secretary told the delegation that the United States Government values
good relations with Indonesia, which has proven to be a strong partner in the global
war on terrorism. He explained that the Registration System is only one component of
our efforts to implement a system to track visitors from all countries. He also
explained efforts to ensure that the Registration System does not impose undue
difficulties for foreign visitors, including the recent U.S. decisions to extend the
registration deadline by a month for Indonesian nationals and to allow consular
access to the registrants prior to their interviews with the U.S. Immigration and
Naturalization Service. The Deputy Secretary assured the delegation that the U.S.
Government continues to examine other means of addressing concerns about the
System, and that any residents found out-of-status under the Registration System will
not be deported without completion of the usual legal processes.
The Deputy Secretary saluted Indonesia's strong cooperation on counterterrorism
issues, and in particular congratulated Inspector General I Made Pastika, a member
of the delegation and the chief investigator into the October 12, 2002 Bali terrorist
bombings, for the Indonesian police's outstanding progress to date in apprehending
the perpetrators. The Deputy Secretary expressed our expectation that continued
progress would also be made in the investigation of the August 31, 2002 killings of
two American citizens in Timika, located in Indonesia's Papua province.
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of
State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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