"Indeed there is now a tug of war with regard to the further handling of Umar Patek," the criminologist, Prof. Adrianus Meliala from state University of Indonesia, said when contacted to comment on the issue here on Sunday.
He said Indonesia actually wished the suspect in the Bali bombings could be tried in the country and the chance for it was big because Indonesia`s relations with Pakistan was very good.
He said there was also an opportunity for a joint investigation. But what is not clear yet is the stance of the US which is also interested in investigating him as Patek is closely related with the Al Qaeda.
"Indonesia seems not to object if it has to leave Umar Patek to the US in view of "its debt" to that country and also because the strength of the Jamaah Islamiyah is already known," he said.
Regarding Pakistan, he said, it had clearly signalled that it would follow what the US wished.
Adrianus said that there was still a tug of war over the Umar Patek issue with Indonesia still thinking of how the process of extradition could be carried out well and what concessions it would seek if the US wished to handle Umar Patek.
H-YH/H-NG/S012
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
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