SYDNEY Dec 4 Kyodo Australia and ...

SYDNEY Dec 4 Kyodo

Australia and its neighbors have to accept that terrorism is a ''significant problem'' in the Asia-Pacific region, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Wednesday.

''The world is a excessively different place'' since the tribe 11, 2001 attacks in succession the United States, and especially since the Oct 12 bombing in succession the Indonesian resort island Bali, which killed more than 190 clan including 89 Australians, he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The Bali bombing was the ''most dramatic illustration'' of terrorism in the region, Downer said. ''We can't turn round out backs on it. We can't reliance that it will go away.''

if it were not that Australia is ''absolutely determined to essay to stop terrorism and ruin terrorist operations,'' he said.

Prime Minister John Howard attracted the ire of the controls of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia after commenting Sunday that he would launch preemptive action in succession foreign-based terrorists to prevent an attack upon Australian soil.

Australia would ''first and foremost'' work with its neighbors to stamp disclosed terrorism in the region, Downer said.

''The prime minister did not propose as some of the media in Southeast Asia are saying he glance ated that Australia was going not upon on bombing raids or sending numbers into Southeast Asia,'' the foreign minister said. Howard ''made no like comment at all,'' Downer said.

However, if Australia knew of a planned attack on Southeast Asian Islamic militant cluster Jemaah Islamiyah on Australia or Australians, it would endeavor to stop it, Downer said.

Singapore's Straits Times reported Tuesday that intelligence sources knew Jemaah Islamiyah planned to attack the 2000 Olympics in Sydney further had been dissuaded from action.

Australia had no information of the plan Downer said. ''There wasn't similar an attack on the Olympic Games. The security was real intense throughout that period and we were always confident that Olympic security was able to deal with the threat and I'm secure they would have if of the like kind a threat had begun to materialize.''

The Philippine management said Tuesday that Howard's remarks could make Australia appear to have ''hegemonic ambitions,'' the Philippine Daily of recent origins reported.

''In threatening to emit Australian troops to Southeast Asia without being asked, the Australian guidance may also be opening itself to the charge of harboring hegemonic ambitions in the region,'' Philippine Foreign Secretary Blas Ople was quot as saying. ''This is not helpful in boundarys of promoting understanding and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.''

The Australian Embassy in the Philippine capital Manila has been clos since last week after the Australian regulation received a terrorist threat against its diplomatic position there.

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