[Kabar-indonesia] Senators Criticize Waiver Allowing U.S. Weapons Exports to Indonesia

[John M Miller]

Key Senators Criticize Waiver Allowing U.S. Weapons Exports to Indonesia

Cite Administration's Lack of Strategy to Encourage Accountability and Reform

Two key U.S. Senators recently criticized the Bush Administration's 
"premature" use of a waiver to allow weapons exports to Indonesia. 
Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) expressed 
concern "that this waiver, unattached to any clear strategy or 
specific benchmarks, sends the wrong message to the Indonesian 
Government and to other countries."

In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of 
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Senators wrote that "The Administration 
needs to make clear to the Indonesian Government that the United 
States will continue to insist that it bring to justice those who 
have committed crimes against humanity, and reform its military to 
become professional, transparent, and grounded in the rule of law."

They urged Rice and Rumsfeld to report to Congress on Indonesia's 
progress on military reform and in prosecuting those responsible for 
human rights violations in East Timor and elsewhere.

The Senators requested a comprehensive strategy which links military 
assistance to accountability and military reform. "This strategy 
should contain clear consequences should the Indonesian Government 
not make significant progress."

"The Bush Administration's imprudent rush to expand assistance to the 
Indonesian military is alarming and short-sighted," said Karen 
Orenstein, National Coordinator of the East Timor and Indonesia 
Action Network. "We urge other members of Congress to work with 
Senators Feingold and Leahy to establish a forward-looking policy 
which promotes genuine accountability for human rights crimes and 
real reform of Indonesia's corrupt military."

Senator Leahy, ranking member of the Foreign Operations 
Appropriations Subcommittee, authored the restrictions on certain 
forms of military assistance, which the administration waived last 
November only two days after President Bush signed them into law. 
Senator Feingold, a member of the Foreign Relations and Intelligence 
Committees, recently visited Indonesia. Both Senators have been 
consistent voices supporting human rights and reform in Indonesia.

A copy of the letter is below.

For more information see <http://www.etan.org>www.etan.org.

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April 25, 2006

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
U.S. Department of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301

Dear Secretary Rice and Secretary Rumsfeld:

We are writing to express our disappointment and concern with your 
decision to use the waiver authority contained in section 599F(b) of 
the fiscal year 2006 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and 
Related Programs Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-102).

We recognize that as the world's largest Muslim country Indonesia is 
a critical partner in combating terrorism, and that it is in our 
strategic interest to try to work with Indonesia on a range of 
issues. However, we believe it is critical that Indonesia bring to 
justice those who have committed crimes against humanity and other 
violations of human rights, and make further progress in reforming 
its military.

When your staff briefed our offices on your decision to exercise the 
waiver, we were told that you share our goals but believe that you 
can achieve them by different means. However, we are concerned that 
this waiver, unattached to any clear strategy or specific benchmarks, 
sends the wrong message to the Indonesian Government and to other 
countries. We ask that you take specific actions to ensure that any 
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance or exports of defense 
articles are provided to the Indonesian Government only within a 
framework that states clearly what the U.S. government expects of the 
Indonesians, as well as what the consequences would be of the 
Indonesian Government's failure to effectively address the issues 
contained in section 599F(a) of P.L. 109-102. While it is our belief 
that your exercise of this waiver was premature, it is essential that 
assistance be provided only under controlled and accountable 
circumstances. Accordingly, we urge you to:

* Provide a report to the Congress on the status of Indonesia's 
progress in the areas outlined in section 599F(a), and the actions 
that the Departments of State and Defense are taking to encourage the 
Indonesian Government to make such progress.

* Develop a comprehensive strategy that includes specific benchmarks 
that the United States will use to measure progress in the three 
areas outlined in section 599F(a), and which explains how military 
assistance is linked to accountability and military reform. This 
strategy should contain clear consequences should the Indonesian 
Government not make significant progress. It should also specify how 
the Departments of State and Defense will respond to future human 
rights violations by the Indonesian military, and what action will be 
taken should no significant progress be made on accountability and 
military reform.

* Provide a report describing specific actions -- excluding FMF, IMET 
or defense exports - that the Department of State is making to 
encourage the Indonesian Government to address past crimes against 
humanity and other human rights violations, and to make further 
progress in reforming its military.

We commend the progress that Indonesia has made since the end of the 
Suharto regime. The military's role in politics has diminished 
significantly, and the peace agreement in Aceh is very encouraging. 
But the country has yet to come to terms with its past and has not 
yet fully adopted the principles and values that form the foundation 
of legitimate democracies. The Administration needs to make clear to 
the Indonesian Government that the United States will continue to 
insist that it bring to justice those who have committed crimes 
against humanity, and reform its military to become professional, 
transparent, and grounded in the rule of law. We feel that this 
message can only be delivered effectively if our government 
establishes a clear strategy and specific benchmarks that are linked 
to new assistance.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,


Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator

Patrick J. Leahy
United States Senator

CC: Admiral Fallon, Pacific Command

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John M. Miller         Internet: fbp at igc.org

National Coordinator
East Timor & Indonesia Action Network:

48 Duffield St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
Phone: (718)596-7668      Fax: (718)222-4097
Mobile phone: (917)690-4391
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