US Agrees To Resume Cooperation With Indonesia`s Special Forces
Thursday, 22 July 2010
ANTARA News US Defense Minister Robert Gates made the announcement at a press conference here on Thursday after a meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace. "I was pleased to inform President Yudhoyono that Indonesian military reform along with several policies adopted by the Ministry of Defense over human right issues has made us consider to resume cooperation with Indonesia`s Special Army Forces," Gates said adding that the upgrading of the cooperation level should be followed by sustainable reform in the Indonesia`s military and Special Army Forces in the future. "We consider this a very significant development in our military-to-military relationship and look forward to working even more closely in the years to come," he added. Kopassus had developed cooperation in education and training with a number of countries including the US. The cooperation with the US however stopped following a US embargo on the Indonesian military in 1999. But after the embargo was lifted in November 2005, the US was still reluctant to resume its cooperation program with Kopassus. Following the lifting of the embargo, the US did resume its International Military Education and Training (IMET) program and cooperation in Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Financing and Defense Export. Previously chief of the US Pacific Special Command, Rear Admiral Sean A Pybus at a meeting with Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Commander General Djoko Santoso in Jakarta expressed his appreciation for the internal reform efforts at the TNI that had been running well. He also expressed his appreciation for the TNI`s role in helping the police fight terrorism. Pybus also praised TNI`s capability in the handling of national security problems so that stability in the Southeast Asian region remained maintained. |