Hamish McDonald – The Indonesian Government is hoping the new administration of George W. Bush will quickly end the American arms embargo that threatens to cripple its armed forces.

It also hopes for an end to the public criticism of its approach to militia violence in Timor and other human rights questions by the United States ambassador in Jakarta, Mr Robert Gelbard.

In fact, some senior Indonesian leaders say they hope Mr Bush will put an early finish to Mr Gelbard's term as Ambassador. "We would ask for Ambassador Gelbard to be pulled out," said the chairman of the Indonesian parliament's foreign affairs committee, Mr Yasril Ananta Baharuddin.

Mr Gelbard, a Clinton appointee whose previous postings had him dealing with the Balkan nations and illicit drug-producing countries in Latin America, has not made subtlety a hallmark of his diplomacy.

After the mob murder of three United Nations workers in Atambua, West Timor, in September, he had an open slanging match with the Indonesian Defence Minister, Mr Mohamad Mahfud, who had accused the US of interference.

Since the Timor crisis last year, the Clinton Administration has refused clearance for military exports to Indonesia, threatening to ground the largely US-equipped Indonesian air force within months.

Since Mr Bush's victory was confirmed last week, Indonesian ministers and key parliamentary leaders have expressed the hope that a change of personalities will sweep aside these problems.

"Basically Indonesia and the US have a good relationship," Mr Mahfud said. "Problems that arise are merely caused by the attitude of officials."

Expressing a hope that the arms embargo would be lifted, Mr Mahfud said: "I hope that the US Government can see that we are seriously handling the problems in Atambua, Maluku and other places. Therefore I wish the embargo to be stopped."

The Foreign Minister, Mr Alwi Shihab, said President Abdurrahman Wahid's Government hoped Mr Bush would help Indonesia move faster with democratic reform "but more subtlety than the Democrats".

The parliament's Speaker, Mr Akbar Tandjung, said the Republicans were more oriented towards economic development and less inclined to meddle in other countries' internal affairs. The Indonesian establishment draws hope from the return to office of what one Jakarta analyst called the Republican "securocrats".

Mr Yasril said the mooted appointment as US defence secretary of Mr Paul Wolfowitz, who was Ambassador in Jakarta during the Soeharto years, raised hope of an end to the embargo.

But Dr Kusnanto Anggoro, a researcher with Jakarta's Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the Bush presidency would present Jakarta with some new strictures as well as easing political pressures.

"The White House may be more tolerant of a slower pace of political, bureaucratic and economic reform," he wrote in the Jakarta Post, "but more hostile towards such nationalist ideas as forging closer security and/or defence co-operations with China and India."