Subject: RT: Clinton suspends U.S. military sales to
Indonesia
Date: Sat, 11 Sep 1999 21:56:00 +0900
From: "John M. Miller" <fbp@igc.apc.org>Saturday September 11, 5:31 am
Eastern Time
Clinton suspends U.S. military sales to Indonesia
By Steve Holland
AUCKLAND, Sept 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Bill Clinton suspended American military
sales to Indonesia on Saturday to rachet up the pressure on Jakarta to accept an
international peacekeeping force for East Timor.
The White House said the move would likely affect about $100 million in military
purchases from the United States and American commercial military suppliers.
``Today we suspended all military sales, and continue to work to try to persuade the
Indonesians to support the United Nations' operation to go in and help to end the violence
and secure the safety of the people there,'' Clinton said during a picture-taking session
with Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
Mike Hammer, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said $2.5 million
in pending direct government-to-government purchases had been stopped, and $40 million in
direct commercial sales.
He said a portion of about $400 million in direct U.S. commercial military sales would
also be stopped, bringing the total to about $100 million in suspended sales.
Indonesia has so far refused to accept growing international pressure to accept a U.N.
force to go into East Timor and quell violence by pro-Jakarta militias who have been on a
killing rampage in the wake of an August 30 referendum in which the people of East Timor.
General Henry Shelton, chairman of the U.S. military Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged
Indonesian military chief of staff General Wiranto anew on Saturday in a phone
conversation to intervene to stop the militias or else accept a U.N. force, said Sandy
Berger, Clinton's national security adviser.
``I think the United Nations will support such an endeavour if the Indonesians will
request it,'' Clinton said. ``And I think it is imperative that they do so. And I think
we're making headway.''
Clinton predicted there could be some movement toward that goal ``in the next couple of
days,'' but Berger quickly played down Clinton's optimism.
He said Clinton's comment was based on ``statements made publicly and privately from
various Indonesian officials,'' pointing out that Wiranto had said he might accept a U.N.
deployment. He said international pressure being brought to bear on Indonesia might also
be softening Jakarta.
But he said the situation on the ground in East Timor continued to be ``not terribly
encouraging.'' He said ``the ultimate test'' is whether Indonesia is ready to act promptly
to gain control of the situation.
``The private and public statements are useful, but we also have heard them before,''
he said.
Clinton is due to meet East Timorese resistance leader Jose Ramos-Horta on Monday.
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