Analysts skeptical about Juwono's visit to U.S.

Tiarma Siboro and M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Minister of Defense's planned visit to the U.S. will bear little fruit unless he can convince U.S. authorities, during his visit, that the Indonesian Army has acknowledged its past human rights violations, a military analyst said on Monday.

"The key is in the Army. If it is willing to improve its image (by acknowledging human right abuses) the resumption of military ties between RI and the U.S. will materialize," said Lt. Gen. (ret) Hasnan Habib.

Hasnan, a military analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), was commenting on the Minister of Defense, Juwono Sudarsono's, planned visit to the U.S.

Juwono confirmed his travel plans on Monday, following a ministerial meeting earlier on Sunday under the coordination of the office of the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs.

The meeting tasked Juwono with carrying out key programs on defense, notably stepping up its lobbying of the U.S. government, so that the latter lifted its military embargo, and boosting the military relationship between the two countries.

In order to push for the resumption of military ties, Juwono will soon leave for the U.S. to talk with prominent U.S figures, including senators and human rights activists.

During the talks, he aims to discuss Indonesia's position on human rights, and to persuade senators and the executive branch of the government to resume military ties with Indonesia.

The U.S. imposed a military embargo on the Indonesian Military (TNI), following widespread allegations that gross human rights abuses had taken place after East Timor separated from Indonesia in 1999. The embargo was exacerbated by the killing of two teachers of U.S. nationality in Timika, Papua in August 2002. The U.S. had alleged that there were rogue elements in the military that had a hand in the ambush.

The U.S. senators had earlier said that they would welcome the resumption of military ties, if the Army was willing to reveal who was responsible for the rampage in East Timor.

The British government, a close ally to the U.S., lifted its embargo in February 2002, but demanded that the TNI be more selective in using weaponry produced by it.