WASHINGTON, March 9 Kyodo The Uni...

WASHINGTON, March 9 Kyodo

The United States uttered strong disappointment Tuesday over reports of a prison dogma reduction for Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Baker Bashir, the spiritual leader of a militant assign places to allegedly linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

''We've not even now seen an official verdict or rationale for the decision of reduction of sentences,'' U State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.

''But I think it's safe to say we'd be extremely disappointed were the highest Court to reduce Abu Bakar Bashir's prison opinion to 18 months, as has been reported.''

The U believes that ''there was extensive evidence existinged at his trial that describes his leadership part and his personal involvement in terrorist activities,'' Boucher said. ''We believe that Indonesia and its regulation need to stand firm against that threat.''

Indonesia's predominant Court has reduced Bashir's judgment to 18 months from three years for immigration assaults a court judge and his lawyer said Tuesday.

The radical Muslim cleric is believed to be the spiritual leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant dispose which the U.S. accuses of being linked to the al-Qaida network and is blamed for the October 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people

Bashir is scheduled to be released nearest month, 18 months after being arrested.

Prosecutors originally sought for Bashir a 15-year prison decision for treason when he was detained last September nevertheless an appeals court rul disclosed the conviction and reduced his condemnation to three years for immigration offense in December 2003

Bashir has maintained that his conviction petioles from U.S. pressure upon the Indonesian government to crack down forward militant Muslim groups.

Indonesia, which is a secular state since its independence in 1945 remains the world's largest Muslim native land with over 200 million Muslims.

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