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» JenL_2 - Re: Indonesian Front

In response to message posted by mitelo:

This from 4/25 Washington Post:

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U.S., Indonesia Rebuilding Military Ties

Meetings on Terrorism, Piracy Are First Since Sanctions for E. Timor Violence

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, April 25, 2002; Page A20

JAKARTA, Indonesia, April 24 -- The United States and Indonesia today began two days of security talks here aimed at rebuilding military ties that were severed after Indonesian soldiers and their militia proxies laid waste to East Timor in 1999.

U.S. and Indonesian officials said the discussions would focus on combating terrorism and sea piracy as well as on the steps being taken to establish civilian control over Indonesia's armed forces.

The talks are the most significant interaction between the U.S. government and the Indonesian military since the violence in East Timor, which prompted Congress to ban weapon sales to Indonesia and prevent Indonesian officers from attending U.S. military schools until commanders who allegedly orchestrated the mayhem were brought to justice.

"We regard this as significant progress," said the Indonesian military's chief spokesman, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin. "We hope this is something significant toward resuming the cooperation we had in the past."

U.S. officials said the discussions should not be viewed as a resumption of a full military relationship. "We're moving in the direction of normalization," a senior U.S. official said. "We are nowhere near that at this point in time."

U.S. officials here said they hope this week's dialogue would help repair severed lines of communication and outline ways in which the two nations could cooperate on security issues without violating the congressional restrictions. U.S. and Indonesian officials said they did not expect the talks to dwell on the military restrictions.

The U.S. government wants to have "an interaction with a very important institution in Indonesia without going back on our principles," the senior official said.

The U.S. delegation to the talks is being led by Peter Brookes, deputy assistant defense secretary for Asian and Pacific affairs.

Senior members of the Bush administration, particularly since the Sept. 11 attacks, have expressed a desire to resume normal military relations, arguing that engagement with the Indonesian military is the best way to reform an institution that has been involved in rampant human rights abuses and corruption.

Administration officials also have said that closer cooperation could encourage the Indonesian government to intensify its efforts to root out terrorists believed to be operating in this vast Southeast Asian archipelago.

Indonesian leaders also want a quick resumption of ties, which would allow the cash-strapped military to avail itself of U.S. grants to buy weapons and other equipment. "The Indonesian military would like to have good military-to-military relations with every country in the world, including with the United States," Indonesia's military chief, Adm. Widodo Adisutjipto, said on his way into the meeting. "We hope that the military cooperation between Indonesia and the United States will finally reawaken."

But human rights advocates and many in Congress contend that sanctions are the most effective way to force the military to change.

With Congress unlikely to overturn its ban soon, the administration has focused on promoting interactions not governed by the restrictions. Indonesian officers have been invited to workshops in the United States, senior U.S. military officials have held meetings with their counterparts here and the navies of both nations have participated in humanitarian assistance drills.

The administration also has asked Congress to approve $8 million to train a civilian-led counterterrorism unit of Indonesian soldiers and police officers vetted by the FBI, plus $8 million to train Indonesian soldiers to better respond to communal violence.

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....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2