Clinton supports U.S. easing military ties with Indonesia

Clinton supports U.S. easing military ties with Indonesia

Associated Press, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton favors easing restrictions on
sales of military equipment to tsunami-devastated Indonesia,
saying America has a "huge stake" in improving relations with the
world's most populous Muslim country and should do all it can to
help it rebuild.

The United States disclosed last Thursday it would lift a ban
on the sale of certain military equipment to Indonesia, drawing
criticism from human rights groups who say the country hasn't
done enough to curb alleged abuses by the military in insurgency-
wracked areas.

Clinton on Monday said lifting the ban would help relations
with Indonesia, which the United States considers an important
ally in its war on terrorism.

"We have a huge stake in building a positive relationship"
with Indonesia, he said.

The U.S. severed most military ties to Indonesia in 1999 when
Indonesian soldiers were blamed for widespread killings and
destruction in East Timor, after residents there voted to break
away from Jakarta's rule in a U.N.-sponsored referendum.

Earlier this year, the U.S. decided to renew training of
Indonesian military officers and to allow direct commercial sales
of some defense items and services. The decision allowed Jakarta
to buy spare parts for C-130 aircraft transporting supplies to
tsunami victims.

Clinton, who was recently named the U.N. special envoy for
tsunami recovery, was in Banda Aceh to review efforts to rebuild
coastal areas where 128,000 people were killed and another half
million left homeless by the Dec. 26 disaster.

Many of the homeless said Monday they were still waiting for
help from the government and international aid agencies.

"Please help Aceh to rebuild roads, houses, buildings," said
Dadang Dipraja, 40, a resident of Deah Geulumpang, a town on the
outskirts of provincial capital Banda Aceh, as he sat fishing in
a river surrounded by destroyed buildings. "But please don't give
money to the government, because it will be lost to corruption."

However, Clinton praised government efforts to stop
corruption, including the appointment of international accounting
firms to ensure all donated aid is received. He urged survivors
to be patient.

He also welcomed ongoing talks in Finland between separatist
Aceh rebels and the Indonesian government, saying peace was
crucial to reconstruction.

Clinton is on a four-day trip to countries worst hit to ensure
that aid is being distributed fairly and efficiently, and to try
keeping the world's attention on tsunami recovery. He also
visited the Maldives, India and Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday, an aftershock jolted Aceh, causing frightened
residents to flee homes and other buildings. There were no
reports of damage or injuries.

The quake measured 5.6 and was centered under the Indian
Ocean, 150 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, the geophysics and
meteorological agency said.

Dozens of people fled from a five-story hotel and other
buildings during the quake, which lasted about 10 seconds.

Aceh has experienced countless earthquakes since a massive
tsunami-producing tremor off its coast on Dec. 26. Three months
later, an earthquake caused extensive damage on Nias island,
leaving more than 900 dead.