U.S. re-establishing military links with Indonesia: Cohen

U.S. re-establishing military links with Indonesia: Cohen

SYDNEY, Australia (AP): U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen said Monday that the United States is re-establishing military links with Indonesia, but he denied his country is selling arms to Jakarta.

"There have been reports that the United States has resumed arms sales to Indonesia. Those reports are incorrect," Cohen said in Sydney, Australia, where he was meeting his Australian counterpart, John Moore.

"What we have tried to do is to re-engage Indonesia on a military-to-military level."

That policy will bear fruit later this month when U.S. and Indonesian forces are scheduled to carry out joint exercises close to the port of Surabaya in the east of Indonesia's main island, Java.

The U.S-Indonesian exercises, involving naval landing vessels and marines, are designed to train the forces in providing humanitarian assistance to coastal regions hit by earthquakes.

The U.S. government has blocked Indonesians from programs at federally funded military institutions such as West Point, citing human rights concerns.

Last year, the Clinton administration froze military relations after the violence that broke out in East Timor following an historic ballot.

The United States has stated it will continue to exclude Indonesia's army from joint exercises, focusing instead on its navy, marines and air force - which were not implicated in human rights abuses in East Timor.