U.S., RI ties seen improving<\/p>\n
Koh Gui Qing, Reuters\/Singapore<\/p>\n
Washington's tsunami relief in Indonesia's ravaged Nanggroe Aceh
\nDarusalam province has paved the way for stronger ties between
\nthe United States and the world's most populous Muslim country, a
\nU.S. navy commander said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Many Indonesians were initially suspicious of the U.S.
\nsoldiers who arrived in Aceh a week after the Dec. 26 Indian
\nOcean tsunami but that attitude changed over a few weeks, said
\nU.S. Navy Rear Admiral William Douglas Crowder.<\/p>\n
"There was quite frankly a lot of suspicion when the U.S.
\nmilitary first arrived," said the commander of the USS Abraham
\nLincoln aircraft carrier strike group, which is made up of an
\naircraft carrier, a cruiser, two destroyers and a supply ship.<\/p>\n
"The politicians will have to decide, but I think the scene is
\nset for improved relations," Crowder told a seminar in Singapore
\nfour days after leaving Aceh.<\/p>\n
"You can't help but feel the kinship that was built in the 35
\ndays that we were there," he said.<\/p>\n
After years of limited contact because of concern over past
\nhuman rights abuses by Indonesia's army, defense officials from
\nboth nations said in January ties could improve as the countries
\ncapitalize on goodwill built after the U.S. tsunami aid.<\/p>\n
Ties between the two countries were strained after Indonesian
\nsoldiers and the militia they backed in East Timor were accused
\nin 1998 of human right violations there.<\/p>\n
But relations started to improve after Indonesia launched a
\ncrackdown of Jamaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian militant
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
The Abraham Lincoln, which arrived in Indonesia on Jan. 1 and
\nleft on Feb. 4, was the backbone of supply lines, delivering some
\n2.7 million of food, water and medical supplies to Indonesian
\ntsunami victims.<\/p>\n
"As I told General Bambang, I love his country but my
\nintention is to go back to Seattle to attend my daughter's
\nwedding and not stay here forever," Crowder said, referring to a
\nconversation with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said in January
\nhe would consult with his government and Congress over whether
\nthe time was right for the United States to relax its sanctions
\non sales of military equipment to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Currently, the United States has three ships and 20
\nhelicopters as part of tsunami relief in Indonesia but this
\ndeployment may leave in "a matter of days", said Crowder.<\/p>\n
The presence of foreign troops has been a sensitive issue in
\nIndonesia, especially in Aceh, previously off-limits to outsiders
\ndue to a three-decade-old insurgency. Indonesia set an goal of
\nthe end of March for foreign forces to withdraw from Aceh.<\/p>\n
"This is their country. We are here to help them on their
\nterms. Although we bring a lot of capability and although we can
\ndream up wonderful schemes of how we like to use that capability,
\nthis is their country," said Crowder.<\/p>",
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