RI discussing anti-terror cooperation with six countries

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia and six other countries, namely Poland, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Uzbekistan, Sudan and Venezuela, are now discussing a plan to  cooperate in the fight against terrorism, a senior minister said. 

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs widodo AS told a working meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission I (defense affairs) that Indonesia had already concluded anti-terrorism cooperation agreements with seven countries, namely Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Romania, Russia and Egypt. 

"Besides that, we have also established cooperation in the same field with European Union nations, the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and countries grouped in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)," Widodo said adding, however, the cooperation with those countries had not been formalized in  memorandums of understanding. 

The activities carried out so far under the international anti-terrorism cooperation agreemtns included  training in  crisis-handling capabilities, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) management, intelligence, police, military, mutual legal assistance, legal enforcement and institutional capacity and human resources building. 

Within the framework of ASEAN, Indonesia signed an ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism on January 17, 2007 as the legal basis for cooperation to crack down on terrorism in the ASEAN region, the  minister said. 

"Cooperation with other countries is very important because terrorism is a very complex transnational crime which has to be faced together based on UN' Security Council Resolution 1566/2004 which calls for member countries to fully cooperate in fighting terrorism," he said. 

On the potential threat of terrorism in Indonesia in 2009, Widodo said the matter should continue to be given careful attention by all sides because not all of the terrorist networks, such as the one led by Noordin M Top, had been crushed.