Indonesia, Philippines to expand security ties

JAKARTA, July 13 (Reuters) - Indonesia and the Philippines have agreed to expand intelligence sharing and patrols on their porous borders to keep up pressure on Islamic militants, Jakarta's foreign minister said today.

''As neighbours with long sea borders stretching between the two countries, Indonesia and the Philippines have agreed to maintain and increase anti-terrorism cooperation,'' Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told a news conference.

Philippine Foreign Minister Alberto Romulo said intelligence cooperation was already helping in the search for two fugitive militant suspects, Dulmatin and Umar Patek, on the run in the southern Philippines where a number of rebel Muslim groups operate.

The two Indonesians are key suspects in the deadly 2002 bombings on the Indonesian resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

''We are actively pursuing Dulmatin and Umar Patek.... We continue to track them. Because of the improved intelligence information sharing with Indonesia and other countries, I think we will get them,'' Romulo told reporters.

Along with intelligence sharing, there would be more frequent joint sea patrols on the border between Mindanao in the southern Philippines and Indonesia's Sulawesi island.

The two ministers were speaking after signing a memorandum of understanding on security following two days of talks.

The document was not made available to reporters.

Wirajuda said that the border between the two countries would also be fully agreed soon.

''As the biggest archipelagos in the world, Indonesia and the Philippines also intend to sort out sea delineation issues by the end of this year,'' Wirajuda said.

Western and Philippine intelligence officials believe there are about 30 to 40 Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean Muslim militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiah and other jihadist groups training or hiding in Mindanao.

In 2002, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia signed an agreement to help fight terrorism.

Indonesia has recently scored a number of successes against JI, including capturing the suspected head of the network, Zarkasih, and the top military commander, Abu Dujana.

REUTERS NC VC1720