U.S. lifts lethal arms ban for RI<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, New Delhi, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The United States has restored military ties with Indonesia,
\nafter a 14-year lapse, to enable the country with the world's
\nlargest population of Muslims to boost its capability in fighting
\nterrorism.<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was quick to hail
\nWashington's decision on Wednesday, describing the move as \"a new
\nchapter in the relationship between Indonesia and the United
\nStates, especially in the field of defense.\"<\/p>\n
Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to India, Susilo said
\nthat following the resumption, Indonesia would step up its
\nefforts in implementing its top priorities: to combat terrorism
\nand transnational crimes, to peacefully resolve separatism in
\nAceh and Papua and to carry on with reforms within the police and
\nthe military in line with human rights and the rule of law.<\/p>\n
With the lethal military hardware that it will now be able to
\nbuy from U.S. suppliers, Indonesia will also be expected to
\nimprove security in the piracy-infested Strait of Malacca, which
\nis the busiest shipping passage in the world.<\/p>\n
\"I greatly appreciate the developments in our relationship
\nwith the U.S. We hope that with these facilities we can make our
\ncountry safer,\" said Susilo, who met U.S. President George W.
\nBush during the APEC summit last week.<\/p>\n
Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said Indonesia would
\ngradually send its aging fleet of F-16 jet fighters to the U.S.
\nfor a major overhaul, and middle- and high-ranking military
\nofficers would also be trained by the U.S. military as part of
\nthe deal.<\/p>\n
\"We are hoping to fully restore our F-16 squadron by 2009. We
\nmay start sending planes next year,\" said Juwono, who was
\naccompanying the President during his Indian visit.<\/p>\n
Juwono said the government would also start sending TNI
\nofficers to the U.S. for the International Military Education and
\nTraining (IMET) program, as well as mechanics so they can learn
\nhow to maintain U.S.-made military aircraft.<\/p>\n
The lifting of the military embargo will allow Washington to
\nrestore arms sales and financing facilities, which were suspended
\nin 1991 after criticism by U.S. politicians about human rights
\nabuses.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's crackdown on its terrorist network has been given
\na boost following the killing of master bombmaker Azahari bin
\nHusin, an al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah operative, who was
\nresponsible for several major attacks in the country in recent
\nyears.<\/p>\n
The government has also formed an antiterror desk involving
\nMuslim leaders, which is meant to counter what they consider to
\nbe false Islamic teachings being spread by terrorists.<\/p>\n
Washington resumed the IMET in February and non-lethal foreign
\nmilitary sales to Jakarta in May.<\/p>\n
The U.S. State Department used a national security waiver to
\ndrop the embargo. The U.S. Congress has maintained the military
\nembargo against Indonesia due to its poor human rights records,
\nbut allows the Bush administration to waive the ban for the sake
\nof national security.<\/p>\n
Congressional leaders have been uneasy about a lack of
\nconvictions against Indonesian Military (TNI) officers implicated
\nin the 1999 atrocities in then East Timor and the ambush on
\nFreeport employees in 2002 in Papua, that left two Americans
\nkilled. They have also demanded reform within the TNI.<\/p>\n
While Tuesday's decision allows sales of lethal weapons to
\nIndonesia, Washington will still be looking at Jakarta's rights
\nrecord in determining whether to go ahead with them.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia is a voice of moderation in the Islamic world,\"
\nState Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement on
\nthe decision. \"Indonesia has made significant progress in
\nadvancing its democratic institutions and practices in a
\nrelatively short time.\"<\/p>\n
In resuming the military cooperation, the U.S. plans to
\nprovide assistance for specific military programs and units that
\nwill help modernize the Indonesian military, provide further
\nincentives for reform of the Indonesian military and support U.S.
\nand Indonesian security objectives, including counterterrorism,
\nmaritime security and disaster relief, the U.S. State Department
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The move comes despite objections from human rights groups
\nthat say Indonesia has done too little to punish offenders for
\nthe violence in East Timor in 1999 that led to the cooler U.S.-
\nIndonesian military ties.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-lifts-lethal-arms-ban-for-ri-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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