Washington wants Jakarta to quickly wrap up its investigation of an ambush near the world's largest copper and gold mine that left two Americans and an Indonesian dead some three months ago.

"A great deal rides on the outcome" of the investigation, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Daley told a conference in Washington on November 26 in a clear signal that the US administration is running out of patience.

Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz and other senior US officials met in Washington in late November to discuss ways to increase pressure on Jakarta to complete its probe into the August 31 attack near the Freeport McMoRan mine in remote Papua province, say US officials.

According to intelligence reports received by the US, several senior Indonesian military officials had discussed using the attack to discredit the Free Papua Movement, a separatist group.

Confirmation of these reports could hamper efforts by the US administration to get Congress to resume aid to the Indonesian military. This was suspended in response to the involvement of Indonesian troops in atrocities against pro- independence supporters in East Timor in 1999.