U.S. quietly resumes military ties with Indonesia

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration has quietly resumed military cooperation with Indonesia, senior defense officials said yesterday, eight months after cutting off those ties following massacres in East Timor.

The United States broke the freeze this month by inviting Indonesian military observers to joint exercises in Thailand and by completing plans this week to hold the first joint exercises between American and Indonesian armed forces in July.

These exercises are a prelude to a much larger military-to-military program the administration will present Congress this month to reward the new, democratically elected Indonesian government for removing some of the senior military officers under investigation for the East Timor massacres and for imposing civilian control of the military, according to senior administration officials.

Since taking office seven months ago, President Abdurrahman Wahid has named a civilian minister of defense and removed General Wiranto, the powerful chief of the armed forces, who is under investigation for allowing several army units to orchestrate last year's rampage in East Timor, which left hundreds dead after the province voted for independence from Indonesia.

But some members of Congress and human rights groups are critical of resuming any relations with the military until the current investigations into the massacres and other human rights abuses in East Timor lead to trials of senior officers.

Sen. Russell Feingold, D-Wis., will propose legislation as early as this week to prolong the freeze on military relations until the officers are all put on trial.

And a group of 29 human rights organizations has petitioned Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to prevent any "resumption of military engagement at any level."

"I really do think it is premature for the Pentagon to be resuming cooperation when there has been a lack of accountability for the senior officers," said Michael Jendrzejczyk of Human Rights Watch, which signed the letter to Albright.

President Clinton suspended all military ties with Indonesia in September when Wiranto failed to reign in the local militia as it rampaged through East Timor. And in its report issued earlier this year, the United Nations said its investigation uncovered evidence that special forces of the Indonesian army did "support the militias in intimidation and terror attacks" in East Timor.

To avoid working with those units, the Pentagon is renewing its ties first with the Indonesia's air force and navy. The joint exercises this summer will be held with Indonesian marines and will concentrate on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, according to a senior defense official.

"What better way than to take some first steps towards re-engagement with humanitarian exercises and with the services that don't have a cloud over them," said a senior official who asked for anonymity.