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.