Jakarta – The Indonesian government has said it hopes that the re-election of George Walker Bush as the new US president would help in normalizing military cooperation between the two countries.

According to Indonesian foreign minister Nur Hassan Wirajuda, the US government has actually wished to normalize the military cooperation between the two countries, which was suspended due to human rights violations in East Timor following the 1999 ballot.

"The problem is not with the US government, but with the US Congress and human rights activists. They only see us from one point of view, that is from the human rights perspective," Wirajuda told reporters at the State Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (04/11).

Indonesian Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono also revealed his hope that Indonesian and US military cooperation could be normalized, not long after he was inaugurated as a minister.

According to Sudarsono, one of the main problems in normalizing military cooperation between the two countries is the US Congress's stance, which is very critical as regards various human rights violations in Indonesia.

According to Wirajuda, the Indonesian government welcomed the result of the presidential election in the USA.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has personally congratulated President Bush for his victory. (Sapto P – Tempo News Room)