PRESIDENT: TERRORISM MUST BE FOUGHT DOWN TO ROOT CAUSES 

            Jakarta - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday terrorism should be fought not by just eliminating its outer manifestations but also by addressing its root causes, namely backwardness, poverty, injustices, extremism, radicalism and the culture of violence.

            "As I have frequently stated, in the days ahead, we should not fight terrorism only on the surface," he said when delivering his State of the Nation Address and the Government's Financial Notes at the parliament building.

            The President said the government was strongly committed to preventing and deterring acts of terror in order to save the nation and maintain security and peace in the country. "The commitment also serves as our responsibility to and solidarity with the global community to create a peaceful and secure world," he said.

             With each layer of the community committed to combating terrorism, he said, acts of terror which alarmed the community a few years back would be overcome. "We have succeeded in preventing and deterring acts of terror in our country," he said.

            The success had increased the people's trust in the law enforcing and security agencies, he said. "We need to show our appreciation to the Indonesian Police Force and other supporting parties for having overcome the threat of terrorism," he said.