Jakarta – The United States has said it would accept the findings of a truth commission probing killings by Indonesian troops during East Timor's break from Jakarta – despite a boycott of the process by the United Nations and criticism by rights groups.

The joint Indonesian and East Timorese commission is expected to present its final report to the presidents of both countries within weeks. Its members have worked for months to find an account that is acceptable to both sides.

"If it's good enough for East Timor and Indonesia, it should be good enough for us," Christopher Hill, the US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said Friday in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

Hill's comments to The Associated Press are the strongest indication yet that the United States will not allow the lack of justice over past rights abuses to hurt its growing ties with Indonesia, a large Muslim nation seen as a counterbalance to China's growing clout in Asia.

"What we want to see is reconciliation between Indonesia and East Timor," he said. "This is the way to go. If you look at East Timor's future, it needs a good relationship with Indonesia."