President Yudhoyono, US Senator Mccain Discuss ISIS

Jakarta (Antara) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received visiting US Senators John McCain and Sheldon Whitehouse at his office here on Tuesday and discussed the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) issue, among several other things. "We have also talked about ISIS, and as one of the countries with a Muslim majority population we hope it will remain peaceful and moderate to become a role model of an open society. We believe in the leadership of President Yudhoyono," he stated at a press conference after the meeting. The senator from the Republican Party remarked that Indonesia can play an important role in preventing the propagation of the ISIS or IS (Islamic State) ideology. "I have seen it as a threat to the US and a serious problem for other countries as well," he stressed. John McCain noted that several young men from the US, Europe, and also Indonesia have gone to Syria, and they will later return influenced by a radical ideology. In view of that, they can pose a threat, and so we need to be alert, he added. "ISIS fighters have captured large areas in Syria, and it has become a strong terrorist organization and has a lot of military hardware," he stated. (*)