Bush makes no apologies for US foreign policy

Anti-US sentiment in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has soared of late. A June opinion poll found that only 15 percent of Indonesians have a favorable view of the United States, down from 75 percent three years ago.

Asked during a joint press conference here with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri how he rebutted charges that Washington is biased in favor of Israel, Bush renewed his support for creating a Palestinian state.

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"I'm the first (US) president to ever articulate such a vision, and I still believe it is possible," said the US president, here for three hours as part of a whirlwind six-nation tour of Asia and Australia.

"In order to achieve a Palestinian state living side by side in peace, there needs to be leadership willing to fight off the terror that is trying to prevent the state from emerging," he said.

Later, Bush joked about what some critics call Washington's go-it-alone approach to global problems, ribbing a US reporter who was poised to ask a question at the expense of local media.

"Wait a minute, you're crowding out the host press. This is unbelievable. This is unilateralism at its worst," he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.