Embassy Row

Harder line urged

An Indonesian legislator yesterday urged President Bush to take a harder line on North Korea to prevent that isolated Stalinist country from developing nuclear weapons that could threaten the South Asian island nation.

Djoko Susilo of the opposition National Mandate Party also urged the United States to lift military sanctions against the Indonesian army and do more to promote democratic reforms in the world’s most populous Muslim nation, which had a long history of dictatorial regimes.

He noted a sharp decline in the anti-American rhetoric that was prevalent before the United States rushed aid to Indonesia to help victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami.

“The American administration is not pushing too hard [on North Korea]. We support this hard-line approach. It is a threat to us,” Mr. Susilo told editors and reporters over lunch at The Washington Times.

Mr. Susilo, who serves on the foreign relations committee of the People’s Representative Assembly, called the North Korean regime “unstable and irrational.” He called on the Bush administration to be even “more aggressive” in its efforts to force North Korea to comply with international efforts to monitor its nuclear program.

North Korea has refused to continue talks with representatives of the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

Mr. Susilo dismissed suggestions from some diplomats who urge the United States to provide incentives for North Korea to resume the talks, noting that the Clinton administration got little in return for its efforts to deal with the regime.

Mr. Susilo also said the Bush administration could help promote democracy in Indonesia by providing more training and education for the country’s military. The United States completely cut off military training after army atrocities in East Timor in 1999 when that former Indonesian province voted for independence.

The State Department has recognized Indonesia’s progress toward democracy and called last year’s presidential election free and fair. However, Indonesia’s human rights record remains poor.

Washington has applauded Indonesia’s cooperation in the war on terrorism, which has taken a deadly toll on Indonesia with attacks in the capital, Jakarta, and the tourist island of Bali.

Mr. Susilo said Indonesia could do even more to fight terrorism if the U.S. sanctions were lifted. He noted that the military could fly more air patrols over the far-flung archipelago and the government could purchase more sophisticated surveillance equipment from the United States.

“I want to see Congress lift military sanctions so we can buy the hardware and maintain minimum [military] readiness,” he said.

New nominees

President Bush tapped a strong political supporter from South Carolina as his nominee to serve as ambassador to Canada.

David Wilkins, now speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, headed Mr. Bush’s campaign committees in the state in 2000 and 2004.

Mr. Bush this week also announced nominations for ambassadors to Cambodia, Liberia and Malta.

He nominated Joseph Mussomeli, a career diplomat, to serve in Cambodia. Mr. Mussomeli is currently deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines.

Mr. Bush selected Donald Booth, another career diplomat, for the ambassadorship in Liberia. Mr. Booth now serves in the State Department’s Bureau of International Organizational Affairs.

The nominee to serve on Malta is Molly Hering Bordonaro of the Gallatin Group public affairs firm in Portland, Ore. She is a former associate with the commercial real estate firm of Norris, Beggs and Simpson and a former legislative director of the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The nominations require Senate confirmation.

• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison@washingtontimes.com.