Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei ? Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday that terrorists can be attacked only from “the highest moral plane” and that there is no contradiction between the Bush administration’s war on terrorism and a continuing U.S. commitment to human rights.

“The United States feels strongly about these sorts of issues and believes that if we are really going to prevail over this plague on the face of mankind then we have to do it in a way that respects human dignity,” Powell said at a news conference at the end of a two-day security summit of Asian and Pacific Rim nations.

Concerned that Southeast Asia’s Muslim-majority nations provide fertile ground for the growth of terrorist organizations, the administration has been eager to establish closer security and intelligence ties, particularly with Malaysia and Indonesia. The United States has criticized both countries for repressing political dissent and abusing human rights.

Powell signed agreements here with the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on increased cooperation and intelligence-sharing with Washington and among ASEAN members, as well as stepped-up diligence against terrorist financial networks.

“The goal is to squeeze out the groups that are here and to make sure this area doesn’t become a haven for terrorism,” said a senior State Department official.

Indonesia, where Powell was arrived Thursday night on the penultimate stop of an eight-nation Asian tour, is seen as key to that effort. Although it is thought to be the headquarters of various militant groups, including the Jemaah Islamiah organization, which has been linked to al-Qaida and is accused of plotting to blow up several Western embassies in Singapore, Indonesia has failed to arrest militant leaders, saying it has no evidence against them.

Malaysia and Singapore, which have arrested dozens of alleged Jemaah Islamiah members, including some Indonesians, have urged the United States to resume military assistance to Indonesia to help bolster its anti-terrorist actions. The United States restricted aid in the early 1990s because of human rights abuses, and Congress cut it altogether in 1999, after the Indonesian military’s violent campaign in East Timor.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, and President Megawati Sukarnoputri faces political constraints in moving against militant Islamic groups. Elections are scheduled for 2004.

The Bush administration is eager to restore military ties and stiffen Megawati’s spine. Powell said Thursday he expects “to discuss military-to-military cooperation” today during a full day of meetings.