U.S. seeking to restore military ties with Jakarta

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Visiting United States senators met with top officials on Saturday to study the possibility of restoring military cooperation between the two countries which was suspended after the East Timor mayhem in 1999.

Accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce, Senator Daniel K. Inoue and Senator Ted Stevens held separate talks with Vice President Hamzah Haz, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Military (TNI) top officials.

"The meeting was aimed at looking at the possibility of reviewing the cooperation between Indonesia and the U.S. especially in military issues. We discussed the security measures Indonesia has taken in dealing with terrorists," Susilo said after his encounter with the U.S. delegates.

Susilo said he stressed during the discussion that Indonesia was currently facing more complicated security problems than just the threat of global terrorism, as the country was at the same time tackling sectarian and communal clashes and public disorder.

"We asked the U.S. to look at the security problems in Indonesia in that context. It does not mean we are not serious in fighting terrorism, but we already are negotiating our way through a lot of problems," Susilo said.

Officials from the two countries plan to hold a forum next month in Jakarta to review security cooperation and the possibility of fully normalizing military ties.

The U.S. suspended military cooperation in protest over the alleged gross human rights violations in East Timor following the independence vote there. The Indonesian Military and its affiliated pro-autonomy militias have been blamed for the atrocities, which left hundreds killed and forced 250,000 East Timorese to seek refuge in neighboring West Timor.

Since 2000, the U.S. has gradually restored military ties but maintains an embargo on combat equipment. Officials here claim the ban has hampered security authorities in maintaining peace and order and fighting terrorism.

The restoration of the ties is the prerogative of the U.S. Congress and internal discussion to lift the embargo is currently taking place.

Susilo said that the ongoing human rights tribunal of several TNI officials for East Timor violence and the continuing efforts to repatriate the refugees in West Timor will be taken into account when the U.S. decision makers discuss the plan to revive military ties with Indonesia.

In the meeting with Vice President Hamzah earlier in the day, the U.S. delegation reiterated the U.S. government's intention not to interfere with Indonesia's efforts in the war against terrorism.

"The U.S. government stated that they do not have the intention to interfere or to establish an extra force or unit in Indonesia," Hamzah said after receiving the senators at his official residence on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta.

Hamzah admitted to the U.S. senators that there were one or two radical Muslim groups, but they did not represent the majority of Muslims in the country.

"I also mentioned that members of these groups are not terrorists and we could ease religious radicalism if our economy recovers," he said.

Indonesia has come under the international spotlight for doing what other nations see as very little in the global war against terrorism. Four Indonesians, currently being detained in Manila, are allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, the extremist group blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.