U.S. sets tough terms for military aid

U.S. sets tough terms for military aid

By Yenni Djahidin

WASHINGTON (JP): The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday
approved a bill that lays down strict terms for lifting U.S.
military sanctions against Indonesia which were imposed in
September over the East Timor crisis.

The move came a week after Indonesia's new President
Abdurrahman Wahid visited Washington during which he discussed
the resumption of military ties with President Bill Clinton.

The House approved the outstanding appropriations bills for
the next fiscal year, including the foreign operations
Appropriations bill. The bill contained an amendment on Indonesia
proposed by Senator Patrick Leahy (Democrat, Vermont).

It sets various conditions which Indonesia must fulfill before
Washington could resume the International Military Education and
Training (IMET) and Foreign Military Financing programs.

They include the prosecution of members of the Indonesian
Military for human rights violations in East Timor, or for aiding
East Timor militia groups in such violations, as well as the
prosecution of members of the East Timor militia.

Indonesia must allow the return of displaced East Timorese
from East Nusa Tenggara and ensure their safe passage home;
cooperate with UN agencies in East Timor; prevent incursions by
East Timor militia from Indonesia's western side of the island;
cooperate with investigations and prosecutions of members of the
Indonesian Military and the East Timor militias for human rights
violations.

The bill has moved to the Senate.

In a related development, the Senate on Thursday put aside the
Bankruptcy Reform Bill, which also contains an amendment on
Indonesia, possibly for the rest of the session.

The amendment, sought by Sen. Russell Feingold (Democrat,
Wisconsin), expands the scope of the military sanctions.

The Senate had been expected to vote on Wednesday. No reason
was given for the postponement.

The State Department wrote to the Senate leadership on
Wednesday stating that conditions in Indonesia and East Timor had
improved since September, upon which the amendment was based.

Noting that the proposal went beyond current administration
policy, the letter warned that it could hamper Washington's
efforts "to anchor Indonesia's fledgling democracy and to
encourage the very steps that it seeks to effect."

The amendment would block sales of goods which would support
Indonesia's economic development, such as munitions for civil
purposes, including for communications satellites.

"Such restrictions would also disadvantage U.S. satellite
manufacturers in the Indonesian market," according to a copy of
the letter, signed by Barbara Larkin, Assistant Secretary for
Legislative Affairs.

"Current administration policy allows licenses for exports
related to commercial sales of communications satellites and Y2K
compliance activities to non-military end-users," it said.

The ban on the participation of Indonesian officers in
multilateral and regional programs, including the Asia-Pacific
Center for Security Studies, would signal to Jakarta that the
U.S. was trying to isolate it rather than support its efforts to
secure changes in the practices of the Indonesian Military.

"With Indonesia the world's fourth most populous country, we
believe it important that Congress and the Administration work
closely together to reinforce strengthening democratic
institutions in Indonesia and supporting the UN-administered
transition to full independence in East Timor.

"Enacting sanctions in law would make it more difficult to
respond flexibly to positive changes in Indonesia as they occur.
Doing so also would run the risk of creating a counter-productive
anti-Western backlash that would not advance our goals, and could
run counter to efforts by Indonesia's democratically elected
government for its efforts to bring the military under civilian
control," it said.

Meanwhile, business consultant and former journalist Adam
Schwarz told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that Washington should
re-engage with the Indonesian Military which is still a
politically important institution.

"I think if (the U.S. wants) to have a healthy bilateral
relationship with Indonesia, then the military has got to be part
of the picture," the author of The Nation in Waiting said.

Schwarz said that while resuming military cooperation would be
politically difficult at the moment, it was something that
Washington must do improve relations with Indonesia.

"I think it's in the U.S. interest to try to do what it can
to help Indonesia at this time," he said.