Hassan regrets heavy security for Rice visit

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 03/21/2006 8:34 AM

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The foreign affairs minister expressed his regret Monday about the presence of a heavily armed American security guard during U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to a Jakarta school last week.

In a hearing with the House of Representatives Commission I for security and foreign affairs, Hassan Wirayuda said he agreed with some legislators who said the U.S. security detail for Rice's visit was ""too much"".

""I was surprised by the pictures of U.S. military officers in complete uniform and fully armed, which were published in a newspaper during (Rice's) visit to an Islamic elementary school. I agree that was too much,"" Hassan said.

The pictures have sparked debate in the House, with some legislators saying the presence of Rice's bodyguards represented an affront to Indonesian sovereignty.

Hassan said he had ordered the foreign ministry's top protocol officials to investigate the security arrangements agreed to by U.S. security officers, the National Police and the presidential guard for Rice's two-day visit.

As many as 12 U.S. Secret Service officers and six marines accompanied Rice as she visited the Al-Makmuriyah school in Cikini, Central Jakarta.

The American officers barred several journalists from entering the school. They also took the lead in securing several events attended by Rice.

The National Police also deployed some 1,500 officers to guard the visit.

Legislator Sidharto Danusubroto of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) reminded Hassan that former chief security minister Gen. Benny Moerdani once ordered U.S. officers to surrender their weapons while they were guarding former U.S. defense secretary Dick Cheney on a visit to Jakarta in the early 1990s.

""It was during the New Order government, but they obeyed (the order),"" he said.

Sidharto said he and lawmakers A.M. Fatwa and Tosari Wijaya decided to leave an event featuring Rice as the keynote speaker because ""we didn't want to be humiliated"".

All guests were required to arrive at the venue some two hours before the arrival of Rice, Sidharto said.

Dozens of legislators invited to the event at the Jakarta Convention Center on Wednesday boycotted the meeting to protest against U.S. foreign policy.

Hassan said the ministry needed to design clear security arrangements for important foreign guests.

Japan and Australia banned all foreign security personnel from carrying weapons while they guarded VIPs in those countries, while the U.S. did allow foreign security personnel to carry certain weapons on American soil, he said.

""We need to make (the rules) clear,"" Hassan said.

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