US restricts military aid to Indonesia

US restricts military aid to Indonesia

The United States Senate banned light arms sales to Indonesia on July 14 because of continuing human rights violations on East Timor. In a unanimous vote, the Senate added a provision to the Foreign Assistance Appropriations Bill, HR 4226, which prohibits both commercial and government-to-government sales until the state department determines that certain conditions related to human rights and political status have been met.

The restriction is the first time either house of the US Congress has enacted legislation conditioning arms sales to Indonesia. Although the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a similar measure in 1993, the bill containing it never made it to the senate floor. Since 1992, congress has banned US military aid to Indonesia, which prohibited Indonesian soldiers training in the US.

The new act requires the Secretary of State to report to the House and Senate committees before weapons sales can resume. The conditions include compliance with UN recommendations, reducing Indonesia's troop presence in East Timor, and "participating constructively" in the UN Secretary General's efforts to resolve the status of East Timor which includes the issue of self-determination, as well as ongoing human rights violations in the territory.

[From East Timor Action Network/United States]

From GLW issue 152