U.S.-RI military ties still need strings attached: Report
JAKARTA (JP): An international think tank, in its report on military ties between the United States and Indonesia, recommended that albeit seeking various positive engagements and dialog, Washington should continue attaching conditions to the provision of military assistance and training to the Indonesian Military (TNI).
Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) argue, in its recently issued report, that TNI's recent track record and strong opposition in some corners of Washington warrant such conditions.
Among them is the insistence that any future U.S. assistance or training be predicated on Indonesia making the entire military budget a public record.
"Such transparency is a bare minimum to be expected from any modern military operating in a democratic system and could be achieved in the short term," the report said.
"The handling of the military budget remains central to any lasting military reform effort. No substantial progress toward military reform is really possible without support of budget reform."
The ICG is a private, multinational organization that regularly issues extensive analysis and recommendations on various international issues.
It has issued several reports on Indonesia this year covering issues that include Aceh, Irian Jaya and the political crisis.
The ICG includes former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias Sanchez and former Indian prime minister Inder Gujral.
The report was issued as the Bush Administration completed a policy review of military assistance toward Indonesia, which cited that despite being limited, military cooperation has symbolic significance and is often viewed as a barometer of ties between Jakarta and Washington.
The ICG said that, in the short term, U.S. assistance should still include progress on accountability for human rights abuses.
"Longer-term provision of support would need to revolve around the reform and possible eventual dismantling of the territorial force structure, conducted in concert with efforts to strengthen the professionalism of police forces in dealing with internal security," it said.
It argued that while it was not unreasonable that the TNI insist that the territorial structure be gradually taken apart due to the police's inability to maintain international security, it was ultimately self-serving.
"The police will never develop the skills and capability they need to do their job unless resources for internal security are increasingly channeled to them rather than the military," the ICG said.
"The territorial structure does need to be phased out and the logical transfer of responsibility for internal security from the TNI to the police needs to be accomplished in a coordinated fashion."
On large transfers of arms, the ICG felt that until Indonesia shows major improvements in stemming human rights abuses, such sales were not justified with exemptions for spare parts of existing equipment judged on a case-by-case basis.
The group, however, claims that the Bush Administration "is receptive to improving ties with the Indonesian military, albeit realistic about some of the U.S. Congressional hurdles".
The U.S. has supplied more than US$148 million worth of weapons and ammunition to Indonesia since 1993, including technical support and spare parts for previously sold U.S. aircraft and armored vehicles.
It all but ceased, however, following the crisis in Timor in late 1999.
Slowly, limited cooperation has been renewed but the 2001 Foreign Operations appropriations bill still contains clear provisions regarding potential military assistance to Indonesia.
Neither International Military Education Training (IMET) nor Foreign Military Financing (FMF) can be made available to Indonesia unless Bush submits a report to a Congressional committee that states Jakarta has met a number of basic standards with regards to human rights and its accountability.
These conditions include taking effective measures to bring to justice members of the TNI guilty of human rights abuses in East Timor.
As of 9 July, no Congressional certification had been submitted by the Bush Administration. The ICG said that in interviews with both administration officials and Congressional staff, none is expected before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30,
But the ICG also said that the Bush administration has submitted a budget request for the fiscal year 2002 that includes $400,000 for IMET funding for Indonesia.
"However this money may well come with strings attached as well."
"The Administration will likely let the smoke clear from the ongoing Indonesian presidential crisis and see if some progress can be made on accountability issues, before it decides whether to move forward with any certification in the future."(mds)