Full military ties to help democracy: TNI chief

Full military ties to help democracy: TNI chief

Agencies, Singapore

The Indonesian Military (TNI) chief said on Saturday the normalization of military ties between Jakarta and Washington would help strengthen democracy in his country and ensure regional stability.

Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the full restoration of military links was a matter for the political leaders of both nations to decide, but said he would like to see this happen.

"Normalization of relations is one of the most important things, and it will help a lot to give us knowledge concerning democracy, concerning the respect for human rights, and also how to conduct humanitarian activities," he told an international security forum in Singapore.

"It's up to the politicians to decide that, but it will help a lot in the stability of the region and also it will help a lot the process of democracy in Indonesia."

Endriartono noted that he had received military training in the United States in 1977 and acknowledged this bolstered his career.

He said his country's military ties with Western nations were "not so good because of human rights". But he added that his armed forces -- with the largest troop numbers in Southeast Asia -- are trying to reform.

"I understand that," he said, referring to Western militaries that have severed ties with Indonesia. "No one in the world should violate human rights."

"The people want a normalization of relations (with the U.S.)," Endriartono said.

The U.S. froze military ties with Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim country, more than a decade ago because of alleged human rights abuses by the armed forces.

But Washington announced on May 26 it had lifted a ban on its government selling nonlethal defense equipment to Indonesia as part of a process to restore full military links.

"That means we can do foreign military sales in excess defense articles," U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.

Washington's announcement coincided with a visit to the U.S. by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during which he met with President George W. Bush.

Direct U.S. commercial sales of nonlethal defense articles and services were allowed in January, and involved providing spare parts for Indonesian C-130 military transport planes used in relief operations after the Dec. 26 tsunami that devastated Aceh.

Boucher described last month's decision to allow government-to-government sales as the "third step" in a process aimed at easing the military embargo, after the reformist Susilo came into power through the country's first direct presidential elections last year.

Indonesia is seeking military hardware and training assistance from the U.S. to revitalize its overstretched and poorly equipped armed forces guarding a vast archipelago.

In his speech to the delegates attending the Institute for International Strategic Studies' Asia Security Conference, Endriartono also thanked all the armed forces worldwide that came to Indonesia's rescue in the aftermath of the tsunami.

Washington sent a large-scale military and humanitarian contingent to Indonesia for the relief operations, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and the floating hospital ship USNS Mercy.

The Australian, French, German, Japanese and Singaporean militaries also sent help.

"This is an example of how the militaries can work together, not to kill each other but to save lives," Endriartono told the audience, comprised of defense ministers, senior military officials, diplomats and scholars.

"It's really very helpful, very useful, all the soldiers that you sent to Aceh... Good job."

The chairman of the U.S. Joints Chief of Staff, General Richard Myers, was in the audience for Endriartono's address.