U.S. Urges Australia on Anti-Terror By EMMA TINKLER
Associated Press Writer OCTOBER 19, 2002
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Australia will not abandon the war on terror despite the Bali nightclub bombing that killed dozens of Australians, the nation's prime minister said Sunday.
``I don't believe this is an isolated incident specific to Indonesia. I believe - although I cannot prove - it is part of a worldwide terrorist operation,'' John Howard said on television.
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell appealed to Australia not to give up the broader fight against terrorism despite the often bloody repercussions.
``This is not the time to withdraw from what we have been doing,'' Powell told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Saturday. ``This is the time to redouble our efforts.''
Howard was one of the first world leaders to commit troops to the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. He also backs a strike against Baghdad, but opposition lawmakers and much of the Australian public want U.N. approval before any attack.
The Oct. 12 nightclub bombing on the Indonesia island of Bali killed nearly 200 people and injured 300. The number of Australians confirmed dead or missing in the Bali attack was 103, officials said.
In the full interview with Powell broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corp. early Sunday, the secretary of state urged Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri to be aggressive in the fight against terrorist groups operating there.
``You cannot ignore the presence of these kinds of organizations within your own country,'' Powell said. ``Even though it may be politically difficult ... to go after them or you prefer not to use strong means against them, it doesn't work - they just see that as a sign of weakness.''
The first body of an Australian victim in the Bali bombing arrived back home on Saturday, the coffin draped in the national flag.
President Bush offered condolences to Australia for the deaths of so many of its citizens, saying ``America is with you in spirit,'' in a taped message in advance of Sunday's national day of mourning for those killed in the attack.
Many in Australia are comparing the national anguish over the bombing to the pain Americans felt after the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Bush also made the comparison.
``We remember so well after Sept. 11, 2001, your prayers, your sympathies, your strong support. And we will never forget it,'' Bush said.
Bush said the United States would help Australia ``hunt down the killers so that there is justice in the world.''
Also Sunday, the Sunday Herald Sun newspaper reported that top-level security briefings in Canberra discussed a terror threat in Bali five days before the bombing.
The Australian government has been accused of failing to advise travelers adequately about U.S. intelligence warnings of heightened threats against foreigners in Indonesia.
A security official who attended a briefing on Oct. 7 confirmed that a U.S. intelligence report identified Bali as a ``high risk target,'' the paper said.
A meeting of the National Security Committee, Australia's top security forum, was also called to discuss the report, the official said on condition of anonymity.
But Foreign Minister Alexander Downer denied there had been any such briefing.
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