[Ada dua berita dalam berita yang dilapurkan oleh STS ini. Pertama mengenai pertemuan Bush-Mahathir dan kedua mengenai latihan bersama tentera Malaysia-Amerika.

Hamid Albar menafikan AS telah mengenakan beberapa syarat jika Mahathir mahu menemui Bush seperti yang dilapurkan oleh FEER baru-baru ini. Tetapi dia tidak pula dapat memastikan apakah beliau ada meminta Bush untuk menemui Mahathir. Nampak sangat dia mahu menyembunyikan sesuatu di sini. Takkanlah perkara mudah seperti itu pun tidak boleh pasti? Sia-sia sahaja dia dihantar ke luar negara tetapi lupa apa yang telah dituturkannya sedangkan lawatannya itu baru sahaja.

Kalaulah FEER berbohong mengapa kerajaan tidak sahaja mengambil tindakkan mahkamah kepada akhbar itu? Sebaliknya kerajaan berdiam sahaja sedangkan lapuran FEER tersebut sudahpun lama tersiar.

Isu kedua dalam berita ini ialah isu latihan tentera AS-Malaysia yang dikatakan telah dimeterai bersama dulunya. Soalnya bilakah pula itu ditanda-tangani dan mengapa parlimen tidak dikhabarkan mengenainya. Hanya Harakah yang mendedahkannya tetapi media milik kerajaan menyorokkan sahaja berita itu. Kalaulah Harakah tidak melapurkannya mungkin tidak akan muncul langsung berita mengenainya.

Kedua-dua kes di atas ini jelas menunjukkan kerajaan mahu menyembunyikan sesuatu dari rakyat yang memilihnya. Kerajaan hanya bercakap bila rakyat bising mengenainya. Itu petanda ada sesuatu yang tidak kena. Kerajaan sudah tidak boleh dipercaya kerana menemui orang asing yang lengkap bersenjata dalam senyap-senyap tanpa khabar dan berita. - Editor]

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/
asia/story/0,1870,61111,00.html?

Malaysia denies US set terms for any talks

Syed Hamid rejects report on a possible Bush-Mahathir meeting that cited US concern about Anwar and treatment of opposition leaders

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Foreign Minister denied yesterday that the United States had set conditions for a possible meeting between Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and President George W. Bush.

The Hongkong based Far Eastern Economic Review magazine reported in its latest issue that US Secretary of State Colin Powell had told Datuk Syed Hamid Albar in Washington on July 16 that bilateral ties hinged on three major concerns.

The magazine, citing US officials it did not identify, said the three issues were the Malaysian government's treatment of jailed politician Anwar Ibrahim; its handling of opposition leaders, and unexplained delays in the regular publication release of at least two foreign-based news magazines.

The report claimed that Datuk Syed Hamid had sought a meeting between Dr Mahathir and Mr Bush at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting to be held in Shanghai in October.

Yesterday, Datuk Syed Hamid denied having been given any conditions by the US.

'We had a good meeting. Nobody would try to tell us how we should rule our own country,' he said.

The minister did not confirm whether he had asked for Mr Bush to meet Dr Mahathir.

Last year, the Prime Minister accused US lawmakers of interfering in Malaysia's affairs by trying to pressure his government to release Anwar, his former deputy who is serving prison sentences totalling 15 years for corruption and s###my.

Dr Mahathir fired Anwar in September 1998, calling him 'a homosexual who should not be allowed to wield power'.

Anwar, however, claims he was ousted to prevent a political threat.

The Malaysian leader has also had strained relations with the foreign press which reached a low in January when Dr Mahathir complained that a cover story about him in regional news magazine Asiaweek made him look like an 'idiot'.

The circulation of that magazine, and the Far Eastern Economic Review, were subsequently disrupted for many weeks by Malaysian censors.

Meanwhile, at the press conference, Datuk Syed Hamid also defended recent joint military exercises with the US, arguing they enabled Malaysian troops to gain new skills.

Arguing that military training with US troops was a normal practice, he said: 'It is done between two friendly nations to enable troops to gain more experience and expertise.'

His comments followed a report by the opposition Parti Islam newspaper, Harakah, which expressed fears that the brief presence of US troops in Malaysia posed a security threat.

Datuk Syed Hamid said the presence of US troops in the country did not mean Malaysia was surrendering its independence.