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U.S. firms up military ties with Indonesia

P. S. Suryanarayana

Focus on counter-terrorism and maritime security in Asia

SINGAPORE: The United States has decided to help Indonesia "modernise" its military units and programmes. The U.S.' objective is to associate itself with Indonesia and pursue "joint objectives" such as "counter-terrorism and maritime security" in Asia.

The U.S.' move, styled as a "re-engagement" with Indonesia in "selected areas of military assistance," comes in the wake of Washington's latest reinforcement of its long-standing security alliance with Japan.

The new U.S.-Japan security consensus is designed to "pay attention to [the] modernisation of military capabilities" in the Asia-Pacific region, a phraseology which diplomats have seen as a reference to China as a possible target. Significantly, the U.S. has now decided to support Indonesia's "military modernisation" in the same region.

For this, the U.S. has identified Indonesia as a key player in "guaranteeing security in the strategic sea lanes in Asia" and as "a voice of moderation in the Islamic world." Also emphasised is Indonesia's emerging status as the world's "third largest democracy," after India and the U.S.

Defence supplies

Indonesia will now be entitled to receive defence supplies from the U.S., which will also "waive" the existing sanctions under its "foreign military financing" programme.

The U.S. intends to provide "incentives for reform of the Indonesia military," which had committed "human rights abuses" in the past.

The announcement, which follows the recent meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Busan (South Korea), is largely seen by regional diplomats as a bid by Washington to regain its lost influence over Jakarta's political and military establishments.

Formerly a military leader, Mr. Yudhoyono had gone to the U.S. for training, and he is now regarded as a Washington-friendly politician.

One of the reasons that the U.S. had cited to impose military-related sanctions on Indonesia was the "insufficient cooperation" from it in the investigation of the murder of two American citizens in the Papua province in August 2002. The latest move is a sequel to the removal of restrictions on U.S.' training and the lifting of ban on non-lethal military sales to Indonesia in recent months.

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