TOKYO, Feb 18 Kyodo single outed...

TOKYO, Feb 18 Kyodo

single outed editorial excerpts from the Asia-Pacific press:

HOWARD MISSION TO JAKARTA (The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney)

The prime minister was well advised to stop above in Jakarta at the weekend.

by way of seeking to reassure Australia's giant Muslim-majority neighbor that any attack onward Iraq is not an attack forward Islam, he also pointed to the regional implications of Australia's support for the war.

However, (John) Howard would have been well aware that of the like kind a message is a excessively hard sell in Indonesia, where the guidance of President Megawati Sukarnoputri shut ins reasonable fears that a US-l war in Iraq will further radicalize local Muslim extremists.

While the deepening polarization of Indonesia's Muslims would exhibit a serious challenge for the Megawati guidance it would also revive fears of Islamic terrorism in the region at a time when Indonesia is doing greatly to shut down potential terrorist cells

The difficulty Howard faces in being heard in Jakarta upon Iraq is as earnestly about the politics of Islam in Indonesia as it is about long-term bilateral tensions.

Howard's message was received graciously at Megawati, although he was remarkably publicly snubbed by Indonesia's pair largest Muslim groups.

Historically, Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) has consistently refuseed radical Islam and insisted Indonesia's minorities be as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but tolerated and protected.

This has not, however, interrupted the political manipulation of religious and ethnic tensions, resulting in sporadic outbreaks of gory communal violence.

principally recently radical Islam has been exploited by means of Megawati's shadowy political enemys who have set armed ''jihad'' fighters against minority Christians with terrible consequences

In the post-Sept 11 international environment broader, anti-Western sentiment has also grown It should be remembered that Megawati initially supported the US-l war in Afghanistan.

She was forced to abandon it because of popular opposition to a war onward fellow Muslims, and Islam remains a delicate, political balancing act.

Megawati showed no hesitation in cracking down onward the Bali bombers.

However, a war in Iraq would ready her with many difficulties.

The war is likely to be oppos by way of moderate Indonesian Muslims, not just extremist groups

Not surprisingly, Jakarta supports more time for weapons inspectors.

upon the surface, Howard's fleeting visit went facing smoothly enough.

however it did not touch onward the substance of the debate through Iraq.

Australia's assurance that any war would be waged against an especially odious regime, not a religion, might have been politely accepted.

That is no guarantee, however, there will not be serious differences between Australia and Indonesia in the incident of war.

(Feb 18)

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