JAKARTA, Aug 18: Indonesia wants the United States to hand over terrorist suspect Hambali and is seeking immediate access to the detained militant, Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda said here on Monday.

Mr Wirayuda told a press conference Indonesia had asked for access to Hambali, saying it was hoped interrogation would provide more evidence against members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror network already on trial in the country.

“The ultimate objective for Indonesia is to get Hambali himself, for the US to hand over Hambali to Indonesia,” Wirayuda said of the suspected JI chief, who has been in US custody at an unknown location since his arrest in Thailand last week.

“We have expressed our interest that we be given access and that eventually Hambali be handed over to Indonesia,” Wirayuda said. “It is a matter of shared interests.”

Hambali, an alleged key ally of Osama bin Laden, is accused of masterminding a string of bombings across the region including last October’s Bali blasts that killed 202 people.

The Indonesian-born 37-year-old, also known as Riduan Isamuddin, is wanted in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Indonesian officials have so far said they only wanted US officials to grant them access to question Hambali over his role in blasts in seven Indonesian cities, in an effort to prevent further terror attacks.

Vice President Hamzah Haz was less insistent in airing Jakarta’s wish for Washington to hand over the terrors suspect to Indonesia.

“He should be returned to us, or at least, our side should be allowed to be present during the current interrogations conducted by the United States,” Haz told journalists after attending an event at Jakarta’s Istiqlal main mosque.

Wirayuda said he believed it would take time to get Hambali extradited to Indonesia. Indonesia has no extradition treaty with the United States.

But Wirayuda said he was optimistic Washington would respond “favourably” to the request for access as Indonesia and the United States had worked closely in combating terrorism.

He said direct access to Hambali was necessary to strengthen cases against Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, who police accuse of being the spritual head of JI and who is currently on trial for plotting to overthrow the government.—AFP