RI and U.S. to review security cooperation: Official<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Senior United States officials from the State and Defense
\nDepartments are to meet with their Indonesian counterparts here
\nnext month to review and discuss all forms of security
\ncooperation between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said on Wednesday
\nthat the two-day security forum, scheduled for April 25 and 26,
\nwould increase the possibility of fully restored bilateral
\nmilitary ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting is a follow-up to an agreement reached during the
\nvisit of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to Washington in
\nSeptember last year,\" Marty said, adding that restoring military
\nties might have been one of the topics discussed between
\nPresident Megawati and U.S. President George W. Bush.<\/p>\n
The announcement came after the U.S. accused Indonesia of
\ndragging its feet in fighting against suspected terrorist groups
\nbelieved to be operating out of the country.<\/p>\n
Marty, however, underlined the fact that restoring military
\nties between the two countries was solely the prerogative of the
\nU.S. authorities, and that the Indonesian government would not
\nuse the meeting to ask the U.S. to revive its military ties with
\nIndonesia in the name of fighting terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"We are aware that currently the U.S. Congress is still
\ndiscussing the possibility of restoring full military cooperation
\nwith us, and we will continue to do what we have to do,\" Marty
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The U.S. severed its military ties with Indonesia in 1999
\nafter it accused the Indonesian Military (TNI) of backing pro-
\nJakarta militia members in a massive terror campaign in East
\nTimor after its people overwhelmingly voted to break away from
\nIndonesia during a United Nations-organized referendum.<\/p>\n
The terror campaign killed hundreds of innocent East Timorese
\nand drove at least 250,000 others into refugee camps in West
\nTimor. At least 70,000 of them are still languishing in the
\nrefugee camps.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Congress has stipulated certain requirements that
\nmust be fulfilled by Indonesia before ties can be restored,
\nincluding the prosecution of perpetrators of gross human rights
\nviolations in East Timor, the repatriation of East Timorese
\nrefugees, and the return of the TNI to the barracks.<\/p>\n
Some cooperation has resumed, including joint training with
\nthe TNI and National Police, although the U.S. still bans the
\nexport of combat equipment to Indonesia, severely limiting the
\nTNI's ability to address the country's security problems.<\/p>\n
Marty refused to say if the forum would be used by the U.S. to
\nforce Indonesia to crack down on suspected terrorist groups, or
\nwhether Indonesia would use the presence of a number of militant
\nreligious groups as proof that the country needed U.S. military
\nsupport.<\/p>\n
\"We are still setting up the agenda. The main point is that
\nthe two countries are willing to look at military needs from the
\nmore technical perspective,\" Marty said.<\/p>\n
Several U.S. officials have stated their desire to see
\nIndonesia supported in the war against terrorism through the
\nprovision of more military assistance to the country.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-and-us-to-review-security-cooperation-official-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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