U.S. lifts lethal arms ban for RI

U.S. lifts lethal arms ban for RI

The Jakarta Post, New Delhi, Jakarta

The United States has restored military ties with Indonesia,
after a 14-year lapse, to enable the country with the world's
largest population of Muslims to boost its capability in fighting
terrorism.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was quick to hail
Washington's decision on Wednesday, describing the move as "a new
chapter in the relationship between Indonesia and the United
States, especially in the field of defense."

Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to India, Susilo said
that following the resumption, Indonesia would step up its
efforts in implementing its top priorities: to combat terrorism
and transnational crimes, to peacefully resolve separatism in
Aceh and Papua and to carry on with reforms within the police and
the military in line with human rights and the rule of law.

With the lethal military hardware that it will now be able to
buy from U.S. suppliers, Indonesia will also be expected to
improve security in the piracy-infested Strait of Malacca, which
is the busiest shipping passage in the world.

"I greatly appreciate the developments in our relationship
with the U.S. We hope that with these facilities we can make our
country safer," said Susilo, who met U.S. President George W.
Bush during the APEC summit last week.

Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono said Indonesia would
gradually send its aging fleet of F-16 jet fighters to the U.S.
for a major overhaul, and middle- and high-ranking military
officers would also be trained by the U.S. military as part of
the deal.

"We are hoping to fully restore our F-16 squadron by 2009. We
may start sending planes next year," said Juwono, who was
accompanying the President during his Indian visit.

Juwono said the government would also start sending TNI
officers to the U.S. for the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) program, as well as mechanics so they can learn
how to maintain U.S.-made military aircraft.

The lifting of the military embargo will allow Washington to
restore arms sales and financing facilities, which were suspended
in 1991 after criticism by U.S. politicians about human rights
abuses.

Indonesia's crackdown on its terrorist network has been given
a boost following the killing of master bombmaker Azahari bin
Husin, an al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah operative, who was
responsible for several major attacks in the country in recent
years.

The government has also formed an antiterror desk involving
Muslim leaders, which is meant to counter what they consider to
be false Islamic teachings being spread by terrorists.

Washington resumed the IMET in February and non-lethal foreign
military sales to Jakarta in May.

The U.S. State Department used a national security waiver to
drop the embargo. The U.S. Congress has maintained the military
embargo against Indonesia due to its poor human rights records,
but allows the Bush administration to waive the ban for the sake
of national security.

Congressional leaders have been uneasy about a lack of
convictions against Indonesian Military (TNI) officers implicated
in the 1999 atrocities in then East Timor and the ambush on
Freeport employees in 2002 in Papua, that left two Americans
killed. They have also demanded reform within the TNI.

While Tuesday's decision allows sales of lethal weapons to
Indonesia, Washington will still be looking at Jakarta's rights
record in determining whether to go ahead with them.

"Indonesia is a voice of moderation in the Islamic world,"
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement on
the decision. "Indonesia has made significant progress in
advancing its democratic institutions and practices in a
relatively short time."

In resuming the military cooperation, the U.S. plans to
provide assistance for specific military programs and units that
will help modernize the Indonesian military, provide further
incentives for reform of the Indonesian military and support U.S.
and Indonesian security objectives, including counterterrorism,
maritime security and disaster relief, the U.S. State Department
said.

The move comes despite objections from human rights groups
that say Indonesia has done too little to punish offenders for
the violence in East Timor in 1999 that led to the cooler U.S.-
Indonesian military ties.