Bachtiar holds up a photograph showing two versions of a possible suspect in the bombing

JAKARTA, August 8 (IslamONline.net & News Agencies) - Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, in a veiled criticism of the United States, warned nations Friday, August 8, against going it alone in settling international disputes.

Megawati, in a speech to mark the 36th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said a recent surge in unilateralism was a threat to democracy, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

"What we need to guard against is that in the course of responding to security threats, we allow unilateralism to flourish in our midst. We must not allow that to happen and we must do something about it," she said.

Indonesia was a staunch opponent of the U.S. war against Iraq, which was waged without United Nations authorization.

Despite being preoccupied with efforts to combat terrorism, ASEAN should do more to help find peaceful solutions to various global conflicts, including the crisis stemming from North Korea's ambition to develop nuclear weapons, Megawati said.

"This is especially so in the light of a surge in unilateralism in international affairs that has shunted aside the established democratic ways of resolving disputes between and among nations," she said.

Global Coalition A Must

ASEAN must act together with the international community "to restore the rightful place of multilateralism in relations between and among nations," she said, adding that the United Nations must be allowed to resume its role in settling international disputes.

Megawati also called for a global coalition against terrorism after the deadly car bomb attack on the U.S.-run JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday, August 5, raised fears of a fresh terror campaign in Southeast Asia.

"It became clear that no single country or group of countries could overcome this threat alone," she said.

"In Indonesia's view...it would take a global coalition involving all nations, all societies, religions and cultures to defeat this threat."

Megawati said the September 11 attack on the United States, last year's Bali bombings, and this week's car bomb blast at the Marriott had awakened the world to the immense danger of terrorism.

Regional cooperation appeared to be inadequate to deal with the threat, she said.

The Marriott hotel blast on Tuesday killed at least ten people and injured 146 others.

Police have said they believe the attack was a suicide mission and that it bore the hallmarks of the alleged Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network, which is also blamed for the October 12 Bali bombings.

Police Link Blast Clue To JI

A recent surge in unilateralism was a threat to democracy, Megawati

Meanwhile, police said Friday that a severed head found at the scene of Jakarta's deadly hotel bombing belonged to a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah militant network.

Indonesia's top detective, Erwin Mappaseng, told reporters the head has been identified as belonging to Asmar Latinsani, 28, a native of West Sumatra.

"He was recruited as a member of Jemaah Islamiyah by Sardono and Muhammad Rais. These two men were members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) who were arrested prior to the bombing at the JW Marriott hotel," Mappaseng said.

The Al Qaeda-linked JI is also blamed for the Bali bombings last October and a string of other bloody attacks in the region.

Police had sketched a reconstruction of the head, which was found on the fifth floor of the hotel. At least 10 people died and 146 were injured in the car bombing Tuesday.

Mappaseng did not say if Asmar is believed to be the driver of the Kijang van that blew up. He said Asmar's sister confirmed the identity of the head based on a scar and a mole on his neck.

The other two JI members were arrested between the Sumatran cities of Medan and Pekanbaru, Mappaseng said.

National police chief Da'i Bachtiar told reporters that detectives already have names and pictures of people who were wanted before the Marriott blast. Police now wish to question them about this week's attack.

He said the Kijang was loaded with various explosives as well as four jerry cans of petrol but it was premature to call the attack a suicide bombing.

"We have to first determine how the bomb worked," he said.

Asked whether JI could be behind the attack, he said: "It's leading toward there."

Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said it was "almost certain" the bombing was a suicide attack.

Megawati was speaking a day after judges on the resort island of Bali handed down their first verdict for the Bali bombings.

Amrozi, 41, was the first of 34 suspects to be tried for the October 12 bombings that killed 202 people, mostly Western holidaymakers, on Bali's tourist strip.

A smiling Amrozi welcomed his death sentence with a raised right fist and then gave two thumbs up as police led him away.

In an editorial, the Koran Tempo newspaper said his reaction is a reminder that terrorism cannot be defeated by relying only on heavier penalties and repressive actions.

"Why? Amrozi's thumbs-up drives us to reply that we will never run out of militants ready to become martyrs," the paper said.

It noted that rising "social frustration" and exploding unemployment contribute to militancy while Megawati's government has failed to promote democratic reform necessary for combating terrorism.