Subject: Cohen: U.S. closely watching Indonesia
military
Date: Sat, 25 Sep 1999 11:26:11 -0400U.S. closely watching Indonesia military - Cohen
By Charles Aldinger
TORONTO, Sept 23 (Reuters) - The United States will not restore military cooperation
with Indonesia until Jakarta's armed forces adopts ``international standards of proper
behavior,'' U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the end of a meeting of NATO defense ministers, Cohen said Washington will
watch the Indonesian military closely after suspending all joint training and other
cooperation programs on Sept. 9 during the bloodbath in East Timor.
``We would hope that reinstitution or rekindling of those military programs can be
achieved at some future time,'' he told reporters in response to questions.
But the secretary stressed that any move would depend on ``what action is taken by the
military to correct what was done in East Timor, what actions are taken to reform the
military to conform to what we believe are international standards of proper behavior.''
``Much will depend on the Indonesian military -- what it does in the future -- before
we can restore those programs.'' Some members of the U.S. Congress have suggested military
ties with Indonesia should be permanently cut because elements of the military stood by
while rampaging militias killed hundreds of pro-independence civilians in the former
Portuguese colony.
Cohen said the United States was maintaining military-to-military contacts with
Indonesia so that it could talk with that country's defense minister and military chief
General Wiranto in case of new crisis there.
``We think it is important to maintain the military-to-military contacts so that we are
in a position to call upon the military leadership to respond in an affirmative fashion in
times of crisis,'' he said. ``It is not in our interest to sever those contacts and then
when crisis erupts ... we do not have an ability to talk to anyone.''
In addition to freezing all military programs including joint exercises and exchanges
of officers for training, the Pentagon also suspended an invitation to Wiranto to attend a
meeting of Asia-Pacific defense chiefs in Hawaii in October.
The U.S. Congress, concerned with humanitarian rights violations in Indonesia, had
already sharply limited military aid and training to Jakarta. The total U.S. military aid
package to Jakarta this year was only $476,000.
Cohen to visit Indonesia for talks
WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (AFP) - US Defense Secretary William Cohen departs next week for
talks with senior government officials in Indonesia, Australia and other Southeast Asian
countries, the Pentagon announced Friday.
The visit comes amid persistent tension in East Timor as an Australian-led
international force acts to restore order and end bloodshed by armed gangs opposed to
independence from Indonesia, which has ruled the territory since 1975.
No date was given for his Cohen's arrival in Jakarta, which was shaken by student riots
this week.
Cohen, who departs Monday, also will visit Darwin, Australia, the staging area for the
international force, and three other southeast Asian countries -- Thailand, Singapore and
the Philippines, the Pentagon said.
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