| Subject: JP: Juwono leaves for U.S to seek resumption
of military ties
March 12, 2005
Juwono leaves for U.S to seek resumption of military ties
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono and his delegation left Jakarta
for the United States on Friday to persuade the U.S. government to resume
full military relations with Indonesia.
Earlier on Thursday, Juwono said that he would convince the U.S.
government and Congress that the Indonesian Military (TNI) had been
professional and had upheld democracy and thus deserved support.
In the one week visit, Juwono and delegation is scheduled to meet U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, Minister of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
several members of U.S. Congress and Senate as well as the media and
general public.
"I will explain the development of democracy in Indonesia,
civilian supremacy and the Indonesian Military's position in Indonesian
politics," said Juwono.
The minister said that he would also explain to the general public in
the United States the achievements gained in military reform in the
country in recent years. Military reform has resulted in the withdrawal of
military representatives in the House of Representatives and there has
been a growing respect for human rights within the TNI.
The U.S. visit was held about a month after the U.S. Department of
State announced that it had lifted restrictions on Indonesia's
participation in a U.S. military training program.
The announcement was seen as a sign that the U.S. government would move
forward to resume full military ties with Indonesia, which means that
Indonesia would gain access to military training and the purchase of
weapons from the U.S.
If this materializes, it would end over a 13-year embargo on the sale
of U.S. weaponry to Indonesia.
The United States cut military links with Indonesia in 1992 following
the massacre of civilian protesters in East Timor, a tiny province, which
later separated from Indonesia in 1999.
Attempts to restore military links did not succeed, especially after
the killing of two American teachers in Papua in 2002.
International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the
international community asserted that Indonesian soldiers were behind the
killing of the teachers, making hopes for the resumption of military ties
fade.
But the war against terrorism waged fiercely by President George W.
Bush's hawkish administration in recent years has provided the opening for
resumption of military ties. Bush needed to join forces with Indonesia,
which is seen as a key ally in Southeast Asia, in his war against
terrorism and resuming military ties would be one of the means to win
Indonesia's favor.
The resumption of military ties was further given a boost after the
Indonesian and U.S. military worked hand in hand in helping tsunami
victims in Aceh. The close cooperation led to the lifting of the
restriction on Indonesian Military officers' participation in
International Military Education and Training (IMET), which was seen as a
precursor to the resumption of full military ties.
Back to March menu
February
World Leaders Contact List
Human Rights Violations in East Timor
Main Postings Menu
Note: For those who would like to fax "the
powers that be" - CallCenter is a Native 32-bit Voice Telephony software
application integrated with fax and data communications... and it's free of charge!
Download from http://www.v3inc.com/ |
