Bush 'not welcome in Indonesia'

From correspondents in Jakarta
November 11, 2006 09:29pm

US President George W. Bush is not welcome to visit Jakarta later this month because his policies have hurt Muslims, a body representing Islamic clerics in Indonesia has said.

Mr Bush will visit Indonesia, the world's most populous Islamic nation, on November 20 on a brief stopover after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.

"We are aware of the tradition that guests should be honoured and welcomed, but we would prefer if the government did not invite people who have hurt Muslims around the world," said Ma'ruf Amin, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), quoted by the state Antara news agency.

"The resentment is natural, given Bush's actions, such as the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and his support for Israel which has killed Palestinians and Lebanese."

Mr Bush is due to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the summer palace in Bogor, located inside the 87ha Bogor Botanical Gardens, south of the capital.

Media and the opposition have decried the cost of the visit.

Around 18,000 security personnel will be deployed during the trip and mobile phone networks will be out of action for several hours as part of the security clampdown, the media has reported.

The construction of a helipad in the botanical gardens for the visit has also been criticised.

Despite differences over Middle East policy and occasional rowdy anti-American demonstrations in Indonesia, Jakarta and Washington have generally good relations, and the Southeast Asian nation is considered a key ally in US anti-terrorism efforts.

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