Indonesia says focus of Bush trip should not be lost

JAKARTA, Nov 10 (Reuters) Grumbles over elaborate security for an upcoming visit by US President George W Bush were a side issue and the focus should be on the substance of the planned talks, Indonesia's foreign minister said today.

Bush will visit Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, on November. 20 on a brief stopover after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said social issues would be the main priority of the talks, including how the United States could help Jakarta fight the spread of bird flu. The virus has killed 55 Indonesians, the highest toll of any country.

Bush and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would also talk about plans for a tsunami early warning system in Indonesia where two tsunamis since late 2004 have killed thousands, he said.

''The public debate on security arrangements is not beneficial.

It is out of the focus of the main agenda. In this visit, we intend to push forward our national interests like eliminating poverty, reducing unemployment and achieving economic growth,'' he told reporters in a news conference.

Politicians, Islamic leaders and the media in Indonesia have been embroiled in a public debate over arrangements for the trip.

Bush is expected to meet Yudhoyono at a state palace inside the 87-hectare Bogor Botanical Gardens where a helipad has been built specifically for the occasion.

The construction has drawn flak while reports of a plan to shut down mobile phone lines for security purposes has also been ridiculed in the media.

''We want to ensure the visit will be safe and comfortable so that the main agenda could be addressed in a productive manner.'' ''The talks will not deal with military cooperation that much. We also do not need to talk much on terrorism because the international cooperation combatting terrorism ... including with the US, has been smooth,'' he said.

Wirajuda said the two leaders would meet Indonesian figures in health and education, but declined to confirm a report that Bush would visit a Muslim boarding school during the visit.

An official from a body representing Islamic clerics said on Thursday that Bush was not welcome because his policies had hurt Muslims. Student, leftist and Muslim groups are expected to hold protests to mark the US president's visit.

Despite differences over West Asia policy and occasional rowdy anti-American demonstrations in Indonesia, Jakarta and Washington have generally good relations and the Southeast Asian nation is considered as a key ally in the US-led war on terror.

REUTERS BDP PM1424