INDONESIA: TSUNAMI AID HAS NOT BOUGHT US TOO MUCH GOODWILL IN INDONESIA

Bush faces rising anti-U.S. sentiment in Indonesia, world's most populous Muslim nation

JAKARTA, Indonesia: A politically weakened U.S. President George W. Bush will face anger over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan when he visits mostly-Muslim Indonesia on Monday for talks aimed at broadening ties with a strategic ally in the war on terror.

Islamic groups have vowed to disrupt Bush's brief stop in the country — seen in Washington as a key counterbalance to China's emerging economic and military might in Southeast Asia.

Terrorism dominated talks last time Bush visited, just months after the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, but officials from both nations say this time around discussions will be more wide-ranging.

Poverty alleviation, education, health, corruption and investment are on the agenda, they said, while Bush will also likely solicit advice from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the Middle East crisis and the North Korean and Iranian nuclear disputes.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation and has more Muslims than any other in the world, with some 190 million mostly moderate believers. But it is grappling with Islamic extremists and has been hit by a string of al-Qaida-linked terrorist attacks targeting Western interests, including the Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Yudhoyono, the country's first directly elected leader, has been a good friend to the Bush administration, sharing intelligence about the regional Jemaah Islamiyah terror network and overseeing the arrest of hundreds of Islamic militants.

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