Jakarta – Indonesia's military will cooperate with any country, including the United States, in the global war on terror provided such ties do not damage the national interest, the new armed forces chief said yesterday.

In principle, the armed forces were "not allergic to accepting any assistance" from foreign countries, said General Endriartono Sutarto. "We will cooperate openly with any assistance from anywhere," he told a press conference.

Gen Endriartono had been asked if Indonesia – the world's most populous Muslim nation – had become a haven for members of the Al-Qaeda network headed by suspected terror mastermind Osama bin Laden.

He said the question should be directed to intelligence agencies. Jakarta has come under pressure from several quarters to take tougher action against alleged terrorist leaders but has played down the threat.

Asked if Indonesia would accept assistance from Washington in fighting global and domestic terrorism, Gen Endriartono said he would be "very grateful" for such assistance. He did not elaborate but Indonesian officials have previously ruled out any US military presence as in the neighbouring Philippines.

The US State Department has requested US$16 million for Indonesia in a 2002 supplemental appropriations request to Congress. Of that amount, US$8 million would go for a rapid-reaction peacekeeping force to deal with trouble in Indonesia's far-flung provinces. Another US$8 million would go to train the national police in counter-terrorism.

The US has had no military training or foreign military sales programmes with Indonesia since 1999 when Congress passed an amendment barring funding for those activities until Jakarta accounts for the military's role in East Timor killings.

Since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US, its officials have lamented the absence of high-level military ties.