Rumsfeld's visit still tentative: U.S. Embassy

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 06/01/2006 1:51 PM

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said Wednesday that in the light of recent developments in Indonesia, the planned visit of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to Indonesia was still tentative.

""What we can say for now is that the visit is still tentative as it has not been officially confirmed by Washington,"" U.S. Embassy spokesman Max Kwak told The Jakarta Post without saying whether the recent deadly earthquake factored in the decision.

Indonesia is still struggling to take care of the survivors of Saturday's earthquake in Yogyakarta and Central Java that killed more than 5,800 people and left over 100,000 people homeless.

Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Edy Butar Butar said Tuesday that based on a recent meeting with the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, it was confirmed that Rumsfeld would be in Jakarta on June 6 to discuss military cooperation with Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono.

He said that the director general for defense strategy was now discussing details of the agenda for the meeting with the U.S. Embassy's defense attache in Jakarta.

Rumsfeld will visit Jakarta after attending a defense meeting in Singapore.

A credible source at the Defense Ministry told the Post that the meeting would focus on three topics, namely details of U.S. military assistance for Indonesia, the war on terror and the Iranian nuclear row.

Many observers have said that if the visit pushes through it will be a sign of closer relations between Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, and the U.S.

Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda recently visited the U.S. to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited Indonesia in March.

The United States imposed an embargo on the sale of military equipment to Indonesia and other forms of cooperation over concerns about rights abuses committed by the Indonesian armed forces in East Timor in 1991. The U.S. Congress had imposed various restrictions since 1992.

However, viewing Indonesia as a strategic partner in fighting terrorism, the U.S Department of State issued a waiver last November removing all remaining congressional restrictions on U.S. military assistance to Indonesia.

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