U.S. seeking to restore military ties with Jakarta

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.