U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived here on Tuesday night for meetings with fellow foreign ministers aimed at solidifying a second front, in Southeast Asia, in the campaign against global terrorism. But he has had to balance that goal with longstanding concerns about human rights abuses in the region. In meetings on Tuesday in Malaysia and Singapore before touching down in this oil-producing sultanate for two days of talks with members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, Powell said he repeatedly raised the issue. "We still believe strongly in human rights, and that everything we do has to be consistent with universal standards of human rights," he said. But at a news conference in Singapore, Powell hinted that the Bush administration was ready to discuss resuming military cooperation with Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation and a sometimes reluctant partner in the efforts to crack down on militant Islamic groups. The United States cut virtually all military links with Indonesia in 1999 after its forces were implicated in the violence that swept East Timor after that territory voted for independence. On Thursday, Powell and representatives of the nations of the Asian group, including Indonesia, are expected to sign a declaration promising cooperation to prevent terrorism by sharing information, blocking funds, tightening borders and making it hard to use forged travel papers. "We recognized that terrorism is a global threat and that the disturbing acts of terrorism and transnational crimes, which continue to threaten world peace and stability, must be tackled by the international community," the ministers said in a communique on Tuesday. Powell is among the representatives from 13 nations outside Southeast Asia, including China, Japan and Russia, that are taking part in the annual meeting of the group's regional forum. Terrorism dominates the agenda, though the possibility of a meeting here between Powell and his North Korean counterpart, Paek Nam Sun, has generated the most news. It would be the highest-level contact between the United States and North Korea since President Bush took office. Powell heads to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, late on Thursday before finishing a weeklong trip through the region in the Philippines on Saturday. He said that when he arrives in Jakarta, he will have "some ideas and some initiatives" to present to President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Indonesia is already receiving $400,000 in the current fiscal year for civilian training programs and is to receive a like amount next year; and the United States expects to provide an additional $16 million this year to train police officers in counterterrorism. At the same time, the Pentagon is reviewing how to allocate another $17 million in "counterterrorism fellowships," some of which could go to Indonesia. But a senior State Department official also acknowledged that some in the administration and Congress are pushing for more direct military cooperation, which would require congressional approval. "I think they recognize the danger that we all face and I think they have been cooperating more fully with us as time goes by, and I'm quite sure that Mrs. Megawati is committed to this cause," Powell said in Singapore. He met there with Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, who endorsed the idea of renewed military ties between the United States and Indonesia as an important step in stabilizing that country. 
Who is the Prime Minister of Singapore?
Paek Nam Sun