WASHINGTON, July 23 Kyodo U Presi...

WASHINGTON, July 23 Kyodo

U President George W Bush upon Tuesday called Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to expres his appreciation for Indonesia's efforts to combat extremism and terrorism, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Bush and Megawati also discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation as well as U Secretary of State Colin Powell's upcoming visit to Indonesia, Fleischer told reporters.

Powell will visit Indonesia forward Aug. 2 after attending an annual ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei, forward July 31.

The ASEAN Regional Forum, which addresses security issues in Asia, form into groupss the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their dialogue partners, including China, Japan, North and southern Korea, and the United States.

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