U.S.-RI ties soldier on<\/p>\n
How much can you learn about a country as large and complex as
\nIndonesia in less than one day? A lot if your name is Colin
\nPowell. The U.S. secretary of state spent all of last Friday in
\nJakarta not only to drum up support for Washington's war on
\nterrorism, but also to obtain firsthand information about the
\ndepth and complexity of the problems Indonesia faces today.<\/p>\n
Being the foreign minister of the world's only superpower,
\nPowell had complete access to the people he needed to see to find
\nout about Indonesia. His tight schedule on Friday included
\nmeetings with President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Minister of
\nForeign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda, chief economics minister
\nDorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and his team, chief security minister
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his team, and the leaders of major
\nIslamic groups.<\/p>\n
It is unlikely any other person has ever had access to so many
\nof the country's top policymakers and opinionmakers in one day.
\nWhether the information conveyed will have any impact on the
\nrelations between Indonesia and the United States depends
\nultimately on how forcefully the Indonesian leaders presented
\ntheir cases on various issues during their meetings with Powell.<\/p>\n
Powell's visit presented an occasion to discuss issues of
\ncommon concern to the two countries, and to forge closer ties.<\/p>\n
The message that Powell brought to Indonesia was clear. The
\nUnited States is counting on Indonesia's support in its war on
\nterror in this part of the world, and it is offering help in
\ndealing with the threat of homegrown radical groups that have the
\npotential of collaborating with international terrorist
\norganizations, including al-Qaeda. Powell used the occasion to
\nunveil a US$50-million program that will provide training over
\nthe next three or four years for Indonesian security personnel to
\nfight terrorism.<\/p>\n
Powell also conveyed the United States' desire to restore
\nmilitary-to-military ties with Indonesia, which Washington
\nsevered in 1999 because of Jakarta's policy in East Timor. A
\nsmall portion of the $50 million in new aid will be available to
\nthe Indonesian Military (TNI) to kick-off this process of
\nnormalizing ties. Washington is also lobbying Congress to lift
\nthe ban on professional training for Indonesian officers under
\nthe International Military Education Training (IMET) program. If
\napproved, some $400,000 in IMET funding would become available to
\nTNI later this year.<\/p>\n
Powell stated, however, that a full resumption of military
\nties, including lifting the ban on the sale of military equipment
\nto Indonesia, would not take place until TNI demonstrated
\naccountability for past actions. He specifically referred to
\nalleged human rights abuses by TNI members in East Timor. A
\nnumber of TNI officers are currently on trial in connection with
\nthe 1999 violence in East Timor, when the territory was still
\npart of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While the message Powell brought to Indonesia was clear, we
\nsincerely hope that the message he takes back to Washington will
\nbe equally clear. And we don't just mean Indonesia's promise of
\nfull cooperation in the fight against terror, but also a host of
\nother issues that have an impact, directly or otherwise, on
\nrelations between our two countries.<\/p>\n
When it comes to dealing with the United States, Indonesia is
\nnot without leverage, as Washington knows too well. Indonesia is
\nthe world's fourth most populous country, and has the largest
\nMuslim population. It is an emerging democracy, and rich in
\nnatural resources. Given these facts, the United States has geo-
\nstrategic interests in forging ties with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian leaders who met with Powell should have used
\nthe opportunity to raise issues that are of concern to our
\ncountry and people. The economics ministers, for one, could have
\nexplained the challenges Indonesia faces in emerging from the
\npresent crisis; the security ministers could have explained the
\nproblems a new democracy like Indonesia faces in waging a war
\nagainst terror without trampling the basic rights of the people.<\/p>\n
The leaders of the major Islamic groups could have conveyed
\nthe message that the majority of Muslims in this country love
\npeace and tolerance, and they resent being equated with
\nradicalism or, worse, terrorism. And they resent the anti-Islam
\novertones we now frequently hear from the United States.<\/p>\n
The Islamic leaders and our foreign minister could also have
\nraised Indonesia's concerns about Washington's policy in the
\nMiddle East, particularly its treatment of Palestinian President
\nYasser Arafat. By conveying Indonesia's concerns, we might
\nactually have helped Powell in his running battle with the hawks
\nin Washington over its Middle East policy.<\/p>\n
Powell's visit may have been short, but it was worthwhile if
\nIndonesia's leaders used the opportunity to discuss openly and
\nfrankly issues that underpin the relations between our two
\ncountries.<\/p>",
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