Cohen calls for closer military ties with SE Asia

Cohen calls for closer military ties with SE Asia

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen
called yesterday for closer military ties with Southeast Asian
countries to support the 100,000 American troops that guarantee
regional security.

Speaking here against a backdrop of economic and political
uncertainty in the region, Cohen emphasized the United States'
need for access to ports, logistical support and training
opportunities in Southeast Asia.

"We look to our friends to contribute to regional security by
helping to further solidify our presence by keeping us anchored
in the region," he said in a speech to a regional security
conference.

"We would like over time to build on these already strong
relationships by enhancing our military-to-military cooperation,
our access arrangements and our defense policy dialogs."

Cohen, however, rejected proposed military confidence-building
measures that would put operational constraints on the U.S.
military in the region.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, he said that he
was referring to proposals for prior notification for the
deployment of troops and the size of forces.

"Let me be clear in stating the United States would not
support initiatives that would either undermine our operational
flexibility or constrain our military posture," he said.

The secretary and other U.S. officials said that some
officials of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
had made well-meaning calls for "confidence-building" measures
such as advance notice of military movements and perhaps
restrictions on their size.

He also said that Washington would welcome any expansion of
access to seaports and offers for increased joint military
exercises with friends and allies.

Security

Cohen described U.S. interests in enhancing military ties in
Southeast Asia as part of a broader effort to refurbish security
relations across the region.

He cited new defense guidelines with Japan, a revitalized
U.S.-Australia alliance and stepped-up military-to-military
contacts in China, which Cohen will visit on his seven-country
tour.

"As China's influence grows, America's objective is not to
deny China her rightful place as an Asian power," he said. "China
cannot be contained. It is our desire to help integrate China in
the international community in ways that it has a very
constructive and important role."

Cohen arrived here Sunday on an 11-day tour aimed at
reassuring U.S. friends that Washington will see to the region's
security as they weather one of its most serious crises of
confidence since the Vietnam War.

He will also visit Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China,
Japan and South Korea.

With militaries throughout the region making deep cuts in
spending, and postponing arms purchases, Washington wants to
raise its profile with naval visits and joint exercises, U.S.
officials said.

"There is a real sense of uncertainty even in security," said
a senior U.S. defense official traveling with Cohen. "And in
those situations there's nothing more important than having the
United States demonstrate that we are an active player and we are
engaged."

U.S. officials accompanying the secretary believe economic
turmoil and uncertainties aroused in particular by the unfolding
crisis in Indonesia give his message greater resonance.

With no formal regional security structure in Asia on a par
with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe, the
100,000 U.S. troops in the region are the main mechanism for
stability in the region, the officials argue.

"Our ticket to the big game in Asia is our security presence,"
he said.

The bulk of U.S. troops in Asia are based in Japan and South
Korea -- 47,000 and 37,000 respectively. But the United States
has quietly been expanding joint training and military exchanges
with Southeast Asian countries, the official said.