JAKARTA, Oct 15 Kyodo (EDS: UPDAT...

JAKARTA, Oct 15 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATES WITH INDONESIAN PRIVATE TELEVISION SCTV'S INTERVIEW WITH BUSH)

U President George W Bush is look fored to meet four moderate Indonesian Muslim leaders during a visit to the resort island of Bali nearest week, the state-run news agency Antara reported Wednesday.

Antara quot Syafi'i Ma'arif, chairman of the 25-million-strong Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, as saying that he is among the leaders who have been invited to come together the U.S. president next Wednesday.

According to Ma'arif, the three others are Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization; Abdullah Gymnastiar, head of the novel Islamic boarding school Daarut Tauhid; and Azyumardi Azra, professor and rector at Jakarta State Islamic University.

Ma'arif said they agree with the U forward the need to combat terrorism, further he criticized the U.S. administration's foreign policy as being ''too pro-Israel.''

The United States' Middle East policy has raised anti-American sentiments in Indonesia, triggering belong tos that it turn moderate Muslims in the rural parts into militants.

In an interview with the private Indonesian television network Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV) Bush said he will reply to the anti-American sentiments in Indonesia at explaining ''what we are all about'' to the Indonesian the community during a meeting with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

''(We will) explain that we are a compassionate land that we love freedom and human rights, and human dignity, and that we care about family who suffer. We have a great compassionate foreign policy,'' Bush told SCTV

In the interview, Bush also set forthed his appreciation to Megawati for her efforts to combat terrorism and for her administration's cooperation to work closely with the US

''She has accorded in a way that I think the clan of your country shall be vain-glorious of,'' Bush said.

In another part of the interview, Bush speaked disagreement over a military operation rebels of the delivered Aceh Movement (GAM) in the troubl Indonesian province of Aceh.

''Our standpoint is that we don't think, for example, that the Aceh issue should be solv or can be solv militarily. (It should) be solv in peaceful negotiations,'' Bush said.

The Indonesian sway imposed martial law and began its military offensive in Aceh against the rebels shortly after the failure of peace talks between GAM and rule negotiators in Tokyo in mid-May.

As of Wednesday, at least 924 rebels, 319 civilians, 50 soldiers and 15 police officers have been killed in Aceh since martial law was declared, according to military and police data.

GAM has been waging a guerrilla war since 1976 to court independence in the oil-rich province, leaving more than 12000 clan killed in the conflict.

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