On the other hand, Abdul Khalik of the Jakarta Post emphasized other aspects discussed in the Meeting. The Jakarta Post reported that six nations in the Asia-Pacific region ended a two-day conference on counterterrorism Tuesday with a commitment to fight radicalism and extremism by strengthening dialog and promoting tolerance through the media.

They agreed to seek ways to bring a swift end to prolonged conflicts in several parts of the region, such as the southern Philippines, southern Thailand, and Poso, Central Sulawesi, which are seen as safe havens for terrorists to hide and train.

In a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart, Alexander Downer, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said officials agreed that the region should continue to promote intra-faith and interfaith dialogues to strengthen understanding and avoid conflicts.
"In fighting radicalization, we need to cooperate with the mass media to be able spread ideas of tolerance and harmony, besides continuously conducting dialog," he told reporters.

The two-day conference, which was co-chaired by Indonesia and Australia, was also attended by officials from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines. It aimed at strengthening mechanisms of cooperation in the region, which has been hit by several major bomb attacks.

Alexander Downner, Australian Foreign Minister, gives speech on the conference

Downer said the leaders agreed on how to counter radicalism and extremism as well as on the sort of counter-narrative to develop to win people's heart and minds.  "Interfaith dialogues are a very important way forward. Australia and Indonesia established a regional interfaith dialogue three years ago, with its first meeting in Yogyakarta, and last year in Cebu, the Philippines. We will meet in New Zealand in May," he said.

Downer proposed a second-track seminar to be attended by media, commentators, and academics to discuss the counter-narrative as part of the strategy.

On a more practical level, Downer said, the six nations agreed on measures of cooperation in several areas, such as combating Internet activity by terrorists. "The Internet is used to send radical messages and has also been used to carry out terrorist attacks," he said.
Hassan said they also discussed ways to prevent weapons smuggling, including small and light arms and chemicals and bomb ingredients.
"We have discussed the need to prevent terrorist groups from owning weapons for mass killing, such as nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons," he said.

Hassan said the ministers agreed to follow up the topics discussed at the conference with technical meetings by lower level officials to establish further concrete mechanisms and actions, reported the Jakarta Post.

Source : Indonesia Digest #007-2007, written by Tuti Soenario. Published by TBSC-Strategic Communication