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.