RI-U.S. military ties unlikely to materialize soon: Observer<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
It is premature to expect the restoration of military ties
\nbetween Indonesia and the United States to take place in the near
\nfuture as the plan is likely to meet strong objections from the
\nU.S Congress and the State Department, a political observer said.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto Anggoro, a senior researcher from the Centre for
\nStrategic and International Studies (CSIS), said on Saturday that
\nalthough the Pentagon might push ahead with restoring military
\ncooperation, especially in the form of Foreign Military Sale
\n(FMS), the Congress, which issued a ban on the sale of weaponry
\nto Indonesia in 1999, remained doubtful of the Indonesian
\nMilitary's (TNI) commitment to human rights.<\/p>\n
\"Sluggish progress in the East Timor tribunal has cast doubt
\nover TNI's commitment to human rights,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto believed the U.S. would not hastily revive military
\ncooperation, but instead would push the TNI to continue with
\ninternal reform.<\/p>\n
\"Should internal reform take place, which subsequently
\nimproves TNI's commitment to human rights, that will be the time
\nfor the U.S. to resume military ties,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Kusnanto was commenting on talks between Indonesia and U.S.
\ntop officials on the possibility of restoring military
\ncooperation between the two countries which was suspended after
\nthe violence that ensued the East Timor independence vote in
\n1999.<\/p>\n
The TNI is widely considered responsible for the September
\n1999 chaos in East Timor.<\/p>\n
Visiting U.S. senators met with Vice President Hamzah Haz and
\nCoordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono on Saturday to look into the possibility of
\nresuming military cooperation. Officials from the two countries
\nwill hold a forum next month here to further discuss the plan.<\/p>\n
Military ties between the two countries have been gradually
\nrestored since 2000, but the U.S maintains an embargo on combat
\nequipment.<\/p>\n
TNI officials claim the ban has restrained security operations
\nto maintain peace and order as well as efforts in fighting
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights
\nAssociation (PBHI) Hendardi said on Saturday empowering the TNI
\nwith weaponry would only increase the military's destructive
\ncapability, thus posing a danger to democracy and human rights
\nprotection.<\/p>\n
\"Should the military ties be resumed, it will lead Indonesia
\ninto another dark age of anti-democracy,\" Hendardi said,
\nrecalling the period of rampant human rights abuses during the
\nauthoritarian New Order regime under Soeharto, who was a former
\ngeneral.<\/p>\n
According to Hendardi, TNI looks certain to win back U.S.
\nassistance in the wake of the global war against terrorism.<\/p>\n
He said Washington planned to revive military ties with
\nJakarta, since it favored TNI's solid position against terrorism,
\ncurrently the chief agenda of the U.S. government.<\/p>\n
\"However, the military could take the advantage of the renewed
\nties to develop a form of state terrorism,\" said Hendardi, whose
\noffice provided legal aid for East Timorese leader Jose Alexandre
\n\"Xanana\" Gusmao.<\/p>\n
Hendardi said he was concerned that the stronger the TNI the
\nmore opportunities it would receive to make a comeback in
\npolitics.<\/p>\n
He justified the apprehension saying the current government
\nunder President Megawati Soekarnoputri displayed indifference to
\nthe presence of a strong military.<\/p>\n
\"Megawati had no comment on the reinstatement of the military
\ncommand in Aceh. She took no stance either on the refusal of the
\nhigh ranking military officers to meet the summons for
\nquestioning in connection with three high profile violent
\nincidents in Trisakti University and Semanggi overpass in 1998
\nand 1999,\" he said.<\/p>",
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