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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021016/ap_wo_en_po/philippines_indonesia_arroyo_1http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20021016/ap_wo_en_po/philippines_indonesia_arroyo_1
Philippine president says Indonesian bombings prove any country could be targeted despite stance on terrorism
Wed Oct 16, 8:27 AM ET
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (news - web sites) said Wednesday that al-Qaida-linked Muslim extremists were likely behind the deadly bombings in Indonesia, adding that the attacks show that all countries should strengthen security and avoid becoming a "soft target."
"What happened in Bali shows that a tough stance or a weak stance or a neutral stance is not the criterion for whether you're going to be hit by terrorists," Arroyo told reporters. "You must harden the targets. Do not be a soft target."
Indonesia and the Philippines, both dealing with violent Muslim extremist groups, have had differing positions on the U.S.-led war on terror.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been criticized for not cracking down hard on suspected Muslim extremists. The Philippines has emerged as one of the strongest Asian backers of the war on terror. Arroyo allowed U.S. troops earlier this year into the Philippines to train troops fighting Muslim extremists.
Asked if the Bali bomb attacks were connected to a homemade bomb that damaged a Philippine consulate in the central city of Manado, also on Saturday, Arroyo said without elaborating that they were linked and probably carried out by the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group.
"All of that, really ... was with Jemaah Islamiyah terrorists," Arroyo replied. "That's part of one big ...loosely organized terrorist organization. So they're all linked."
Indonesian officials said it was not immediately clear if the attack on the Philippine Consulate was related to the blasts in Bali.
The Jemaah Islamiyah is a Southeast Asian-based Muslim group suspected of plotting bomb attacks against the U.S. Embassy and other Western targets in Singapore early this year.
Arroyo said an Indonesian terror suspect arrested in the Philippines, Agus Dwikarna, is suspected to have ties to Jemaah Islamiyah. Many Indonesians had demanded his release after the Philippines convicted him of illegal explosives possession and sentenced him in July to up to 17 years in prison.
Arroyo said she planned to meet with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites) on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (news - web sites) forum in Mexico later this month to discuss how the Philippines could buy oil from the two countries in case of supply disruptions in the near future.
The Philippines has been making preparations for the fallout of a possible U.S. strike on Iraq.
The APEC summit should focus on discussions about how countries worldwide could help each other maintain economic stability "during this difficult period of continuing terrorism," Arroyo said.
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