[Kabar-indonesia] Rumsfeld uses RI as example in warning of dangers of severing military ties

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

excerpt: "Take Indonesia and Pakistan -- we severed military-to-military
relations with those two countries and a whole generation was lost in
terms of relationships," he (Rumsfeld) said.

US lifts restrictions on military training programs: officials

by Jim Mannion

MANAGUA, October 1 (AFP) -- The United States has lifted a ban 
on US military training programs with countries in Latin America and
elsewhere that have refused to foreswear war crimes prosecutions 
of US service members by an international tribunal.

The move, which was announced as US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
arrived here Sunday for a two-day meeting of defense ministers from
around the hemisphere, comes amid growing US concern that Venezuela is
using its oil wealth to buy influence in the region.

A senior US defense official said lifting the ban on International
Military Training and Education (IMET) programs and economic support
funding would enable the United States to compete more effectively.

"It just was hurting us," said the official, who briefed reporters on
condition of anonymity.

"We have these relationships with so many countries, mil-to-mil
relations, and they're good," he said. "And I think that may be in
part why we said let's fix this."

The American Servicemembers Protection Act denies US military
assistance to countries that do not agree to spare US military
personnel from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, 
unless there is a presidential waiver.

President George W. Bush signed waivers for all countries sanctioned
under the law, the officials said.

Congress also has acted to eliminate IMET funding and economic support
funding as mandatory sanctions under the law.

Even with the changes, the law prohibits US aid for arms sales or
transfers of surplus military goods to any country that has not signed
an agreement with the United States on the question of international
tribunals.

Rumsfeld said he favored the moves, saying it was "fundamentally
important" to maintain military relations with countries with which
the United States may have differences.

"Take Indonesia and Pakistan -- we severed military-to-military
relations with those two countries and a whole generation was lost in
terms of relationships," he said.

Among those attending the meeting here is a high level delegation from
Venezuela, which ended a 35 year old military training program with
the United States in April and has had increasingly strained relations
with Washington.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who called Bush the "devil" in a
speech to the UN General Assembly last month, has thumbed his nose 
at Washington by forming military and economic ties with Iran, Syria,
China and Russia.

The senior US official said the US side hoped that the meeting here of
hemispheric defense ministers would not turn into another US-Venezuela
confrontation.

"We're not there looking for conflict with anybody," said the
official. "I hope it does not become a Venezuela-US kind of thing.
It's certainly not our intention."

------------------------------------------
Joyo Indonesia News Service
------------------------------------------