U.S., RI eye improvement of military ties
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The governments of Indonesia and the United States see the possibility of improved military ties following the significant role of U.S. troops in tsunami relief operations in Aceh.
This view was expressed by visiting U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a former ambassador to Indonesia, and Indonesian Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono on Sunday.
The U.S. Congress cut military ties with Indonesia in 1999 over the violence in East Timor by militias backed by the Indonesian Military (TNI).
"We understand the restrictions proposed by Congress. It is not only the issue of past rights abuses, but we would also like to see how the TNI has endeavored to put itself under the control of civilian supremacy," Wolfowitz said.
The visiting deputy defense secretary toured Aceh on Saturday to view the damage caused by the tsunami.
The U.S. Congress has lifted the military embargo on spare parts for Hercules planes now being used in relief operations.
"We need to think about how we can strengthen this newly elected democratic government, strengthen the civilian defense minister ... to help build the kind of defense institution that will ensure in the future that the Indonesian military, like our military, is a loyal function of a democratic government," Wolfowitz said.
"We need to work closely with the Congress," he said. "These are issues that the (U.S.) people feel deeply about, but I hope they will perhaps see them in a new light, not only because of what we need to do in Aceh but equally importantly because of what is happening here on the political front."
In the wake of the Dec. 26 tsunami, the U.S. deployed over 14,000 personnel, warships, helicopters and other aircraft to Aceh. The province had been closed to foreigners because of conflict between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
Juwono said he hoped for U.S. assistance in military training and budget management, which was "probably more important than lethal and combat training and education".
However, he implied the strained defense budget of about US$1 billion would not enable Indonesia to buy military equipment from the U.S. even if the embargo was lifted.
Juwono said his job was to "reconfigure the Indonesian defense force, particularly the Army, so that they will be more accountable to a democratic government".
Wolfowitz said cutting contacts with Indonesian military officers "only makes the problems much worse".
A lifting of the military embargo and improved military ties would "make it possible (for Indonesia) to respond much more quickly and effectively in a crisis like this one", he said.