'Arrest Me First'.(Hamzah Haz)(Brief Article)(Interview)

Even as the United States and other Western countries have criticized Jakarta for being complacent about its growing fundamentalist movement, Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz has gone out of his way to be seen publicly with Muslim firebrands like Laskar Jihad founder Jafar Umar Thalib and Abu Bakar Bashir, a cleric accused of leading a Southeast Asian terror ring. Haz spoke with NEWSWEEK's Joe Cochrane and Peter Janssen about why he was suddenly taking so keen an interest in his Islamist brethren. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: There are concerns about the recent meetings you've had with Jafar Umar Thalib and Abu Bakar Bashir. What kind of a message does this send?

HAZ: The main question here is how to cope with these extremist leaders, so they'll stay in our corridor in terms of restoring security. The key point is justice. If the government works on creating justice, these so-called extremists will appreciate that and become more accommodating. My first step is to have dialogues with them.

You've been quoted as saying there are no terrorists in Indonesia. Are you trying to underplay the terrorist threat?

Even the national police chief has officially announced that there are no terrorists in Indonesia. Even the banks here have said there is no evidence of terrorist funds flowing to local networks here.

So you deny that there is a terrorist threat to Indonesia?

I met these people personally, and it makes little sense to suspect them of being terrorists. If they were terrorists, shouldn't they be playing their games underground, not out in the open? I said earlier, if they're proven to be terrorists I will personally ask that they be arrested. But if they're not, then I call on the authorities to arrest me first.