U.S. Envoy Urges Indonesia on Ambush Probe By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer
[AP Photo: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick gestures as he speaks during a press conference...] JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia must do more to pursue justice in the shooting deaths of two American schoolteachers three years ago before Washington can agree to restore military ties with Indonesia, a senior U.S. diplomat said Saturday. Washington banned military ties with Indonesia in 1999 after Indonesian troops devastated the province of East Timor following a U.N.-organized independence referendum. But the Bush administration now wants to resume full ties with Indonesia's military, which it views as a bulwark against Islamic militancy in the world's most populous Muslim nation. In February, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice lifted restrictions on Jakarta's participation in the Pentagon's International Military Education and Training program. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick described the $600,000 program as "very limited." "For us to do more, we need more progress in terms of that investigation," he said. Zoellick said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other top officials had agreed to cooperate fully in the investigation of the ambush in which eight other Americans — including a 6-year-old child — were injured. "I do see progress but I won't be satisfied until the culprits are brought to justice," Zoellick told reporters. "The sense I got is that the government understands the importance of this." Local police in the eastern province of West Papua, where the victims worked at a school attached to an American-owned gold and copper mine, initially blamed the Aug. 31, 2002, ambush on an army special forces unit. The attack was seen as an effort by the military to discredit a pro-independence movement in the province. A subsequent FBI probe led to the indictment by a U.S. grand jury of an Indonesian civilian, Anthonius Wamang. He was described as a pro-independence guerrilla, but separatist activists maintain he was a military informer. He has never been captured. Zoellick also met with Planning Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to discuss America's role in rebuilding Indonesia's tsunami-devastated Aceh province, including plans to finance a $245 million road project, embassy officials said. He witnessed the signing of an agreement for the United States to contribute $73 million in aid to Indonesia, including cash to establish an anti-corruption court aimed at stemming the country's endemic graft. http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&e=1&u=/ap/20050507/ap_on_re_as/indonesia_us =================================================================== Related news: Top diplomat, Indonesia discuss military ties Sat May 7, 4:29 AM ET [Reuters Photo: Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick met with Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono May 7,...] JAKARTA (Reuters) - A top U.S. diplomat met Indonesia's president on Saturday and discussed a revival in military ties between the two countries as well as reconstruction efforts in the tsunami-hit Aceh province. Neither U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick nor President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke to reporters after the meeting and an Indonesian spokesman gave only sketchy details. "They talked about cooperation in education, investment, military reform and relations with the American military," Dino Patti Djalal told reporters. He said the two also discussed Yudhoyono's upcoming visit to Washington on May 25-26. Zoellick is on a tour of Southeast Asia. He will travel to Aceh on Sunday to review U.S. efforts in helping reconstruction. Djalal said the United States would help with rehabilitation of the road network between the Acehnese capital of Banda Aceh and the city of Meulaboh to the south, a 250 km (155 mile) stretch of key road that was badly damaged by the earthquake and tsunami on December 26. The massive earthquake sent walls of water smashing into Aceh, leaving more than 160,000 people dead or missing. Military ties between the United States and Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, have begun to improve. In February, Washington moved to revive the small but high-profile International Military and Education and Training program that was severed in the early 1990s because of human rights abuses in East Timor. However, other cooperation, including the sale of American arms to Jakarta, is still frozen. Washington's move to improve military ties with a key ally in the war on terrorism has been condemned by human rights groups, which argue the Indonesian armed forces has yet to properly account for past abuses and undertake enough reforms. Zoellick has visited Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. After Indonesia he travels to Malaysia and Singapore. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050507/pl_nm/indonesia_usa_dc_1 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/OCfFmA/UOnJAA/E2hLAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. www.ppi-india.org *************************************************************************** __________________________________________________________________________ Mohon Perhatian: 1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik) 2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari. 3. Lihat arsip sebelumnya, www.ppi-india.da.ru; 4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
