The Indonesian government applauded the arrest of Asia's most wanted terrorist Hambali, and demanded that the United States hand him over to Indonesian court for trial amid conflicting reports about his whereabouts.

"We share mutual interest in combating terrorism. We hope the United States can fulfill our request in not a very long time," Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters Monday.

Indonesia-born Hambali is wanted at home for a series of deadly bomb attacks, including church bombings in 2000 and the Bali blastin October 2002 that killed 202 people.

The ultimate objective for Indonesia, Hassan said, is to get Hambali so that he can answer for all his crimes here.

He is also needed to unveil the alleged terror network in Southeast Asia and testify in trials of other suspected terrorists, such as alleged Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.

The Indonesian Mujahideen Council (MMI), which has been chaired by Ba'asyir demanded Tuesday the extradition of Hambali to testify in Ba'asyir trial. Ba'asyir is requested by Indonesian prosecutors for a 15-year jail sentence on charges of treason and visa violations, but also suspected of offering his "blessing" for terrorist violence.

"Hambali must be presented here to clarify all problems," IrfanAwwas, one of MMI leaders, said in the town of Yogyakarta in southern Java.

Many witnesses including Bali bombers and alleged JI members in Malaysia and Singapore have testified against Ba'asyir and named him JI spiritual leader based on Hambali's earlier announcement.

"There will be not truth until Hambali himself testifies here,"Irfan said.

However, it seems that the Indonesian government has no immediate access to Hambali, who has been in the US custody at an undisclosed location since his arrest in Thailand last Monday.

Hassan said Indonesia and the United States had not signed agreement on extradition treaty.

Indonesian court has failed to present Omar al Farouq, a suspected terrorist in US custody who first pointed finger to Ba' asyir. Farouq was arrested by the Indonesian police but later was sent to the United States at the Washington's request.

But Hassan said Farouq and Hambali are two different cases given that Farouq is not an Indonesian citizen.

He also said President Megawati Soekarnoputri had talked with US President George W. Bush over telephone for at least an access to question Hambali and eventually to get him back to Indonesia.

The 36-year-old Hambali, branded by Bush as "one of the most lethal terrorists," was born in West Java and has become involved in radical Islam since he was a teenager.

Hambali, whose birth name is Ridwan Isamuddin, went into exile to Malaysia at 19 along with Ba'asyir, and then traveled to Afghanistan to join with Mujahideen guerill as to fight Soviet occupation.

He is believed to have returned to Indonesia in 2000 and masterminded a series of bomb attacks in Southeast Asia. The US government alleges that he is an al-Qaeda operative in the region.

He is also wanted by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines for funding and plotting attacks in their territories.The Philippine government has indicted Hambali for the bombing of Manila's overhead railway that killed 22 people in 2000.

Calls for access to Hambali has mounted in Indonesia since his arrest was made public last week.

"It is very important for Indonesia because Hambali is connected to a number of acts of terror in the past and his group is possibly planning similar attacks in the future," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters upon hearing reports about Hambali's capture.

It's only two weeks ago when a powerful bomb exploded in the capital city that killed 12 people and injured 150 others. More than 20 bomb attacks have rocked the country over the past three years, but most of the cases left uncovered.

Sending Hambali to Indonesian justice might be very helpful for the country to crush the existing terror group and underground network in the region of Southeastern Asia as well as prevent attacks in the future.

(Xinhua News Agency August 19, 2003)