Jakarta – A US navy commander expressed optimism that the US will soon resume full military cooperation with Indonesia, citing progress by Jakarta on human rights issues.
"I'm very optimistic that we're going to be on a move forward," said Admiral William Fallon, the newly-appointed commander of US Pacific Command, adding that he believes full military cooperation will resume "much sooner than later."
"I'm determined to do whatever I can to accelerate this process and to put us on a firm footing for the future. We both know there's a legacy from the past of issues that were causing friction and were obstacles to progress. I believe we're on the road to fixing many of these things," said the admiral, who met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier in the day.
The US decided in February to resume training members of the Indonesian armed forces. Earlier Washington also eased an embargo on the supply of US military hardware to help boost relief efforts in Indonesia's Aceh province, the region hardest hit by the December tsunami disaster.
The US imposed restrictions on contacts after the Indonesian military massacred pro-independence protesters in East Timor in November 1991.
The restrictions were further tightened in 1999 after the Indonesian army was accused of being behind the killing of about 1,500 people in East Timor in an unsuccessful bid to prevent the territory from gaining independence.
Fallon said his talks with Yudhoyono, armed forces chief General Endriartono Sutarto and top security minister Widodo Adisucipto during his two-day visit left him with an impression that Indonesia is determined to improve its human rights record.
"I think the solid support that I have witnessed and I have heard would be a good foundation that will enable me to convey back to Washington that there's really progress being made and that the leadership is certainly determined to move forward," he said.
Fallon said the US military's involvement in the tsunami relief effort in the Aceh province has provided another impetus for restoring military ties.