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

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.