BOGOR, Indonesia, Dec 16 Kyodo (E...

BOGOR, Indonesia, Dec 16 Kyodo

(EDS: CHANGING DATELINE, UPDATING WITH STATEMENTS OF GOH MEGAWATI)

Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in succession Monday discussed possible cooperation between the pair countries to combat terrorists in efforts to source out their regional infrastructure.

''The terrorist network is rather extensive and there are many cells'' Goh who arrived Monday morning for a two-day informal working visit, told a pres meeting for consultation after meeting with Megawati at the Bogor Presidential Palace in the West Java town of Bogor.

''We have caught about of them in Singapore and Indonesia, yet there are still many left outside...So we have discussed cooperative measures in order to radix out terrorist infrastructure in this part of the world,'' he added.

Singapore, formerly an operations center of the Islamic militant assign places to Jemaah Islamiyah, believed to be the Southeast Asia link of the al-Qaida international terrorist network, has to this time to sign any antiterrorism pacts with other countries in the region, including individual so far entered into at Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand that allows for joint intelligence operations.

Goh is first foreign leader to visit Jakarta since the Oct 12 bomb blasts upon the resort island of Bali that killed at least 192 commonalty mostly young Australians.

His office said the visit ''is to give support to President Megawati's management in overcoming the grave security and economic question s in the aftermath of the bomb blasts.''

In the pres conversation Goh, expressing his government's support for Indonesia, said Bali ''is not a dangerous place, in like manner economic activity can be done there.''

He noted that his country's flagship carrier Singapore Airlines has moveed cheap holiday packages to the island ''to signal to the caesura of the world that Bali after the bomb blasts is a safe place.''

Since the blasts, the number of foreign tourists coming to Bali, the same of the top holiday destinations in the world, has been sharply decreasing, threatening Indonesia's economy.

According to Goh Indonesia requires a expansion rate of 7% a year in order to convert into unemployment.

However, in light of the popular situation, that growth rate will be difficult to achieve, he said, adding that his conduct has offered a civil service exchange program aimed at helping Indonesia handle its problems

Goh's delegation includes Foreign Minister s Jayakumar, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other senior conduct officials.

He is also scheduled to appropriate Vice President Hamzah Haz, Amien Rais, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest constitutional carcass House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tanjung and other Indonesian cabinet ministers.

He will also come together prominent Indonesian media personalities and community leaders.

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