A

fter almost 20 years of keeping the Indonesian Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) at arm’s length, officials say the United States has agreed to resume training with the once controversial military outfit.

US Ambassador to Indonesia Joseph Donovan met with Indonesia’s recently appointed Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko on Monday to discuss several key issues of common interest, including Washington’s decision to lift existing restrictions placed on Kopassus.

During their meeting, Donovan told the former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander that the US would gradually allow the resumption of joint military exercises with Kopassus, likely beginning with its elite counterterrorism squad, Detasemen 81.

“We may be able to resume [joint exercises] with Detasemen 81 Kopassus,” Donovan told Moeldoko in Jakarta, as quoted in a statement circulated by the latter’s office on Monday.

The US had imposed the limitations in 1999 because of human rights abuses Kopassus had allegedly committed in East Timor, when Indonesia opposed that country’s independence.

The outright ban was lifted in 2010, but some restrictions had remained, leaving the 6,000-member elite unit absent from joint exercises.

The decision came as a follow-up of US Defense Secretary James Mattis’ visit to Indonesia late last month.

Ending his Indonesia trip at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Mattis was treated to a spectacular performance by Kopassus personnel, who walked on fire and bit the heads off live snakes to drink their blood.

In Monday’s meeting, Donovan also said Indonesia plays an important role as a strategic partner of the US in the Asia-Pacific region.

“One of my missions in Indonesia is to strengthen ongoing cooperation in various fields,” the envoy said, adding he had only served 14 months in the country and “needed to learn a lot more about Indonesia”.

Besides the issue with Kopassus, Donovan also highlighted a plan to improve the value of two-way trade.

With Indonesia’s economic growth rate of 5.05 percent last year, both countries could explore more trade opportunities, Donovan said. “The volume of trade between Indonesia and the US is merely 1.5 times larger than the trade figures between the US and Vietnam,” he told Moeldoko.

Last April, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to conduct investigations into Indonesia and 15 other countries with which the US has trade deficits.

According to DataLEADS, the US has trade deficits with most of its Asian partners. China tops the list, with a US$347 billion trade surplus, followed by Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and Malaysia.

According to data from the Trade Ministry, Indonesian and US trade was worth $23.5 million last year, 10.84 percent higher than in 2016. Indonesia still enjoys a wide trade surplus.

Donovan also took issue with the planned revisions for the Criminal Code. The US ambassador urged Jakarta to guarantee the protection of minorities and other vulnerable groups. The bill would, among other things, expand the definition of adultery, potentially criminalizing premarital sex and same-sex sexual relations.

In response, Moeldoko expressed his view that framing the debate using a majority-minority dichotomy was no longer relevant and that it would only prevent people from finding effective solutions.

Meanwhile, he emphasized that Indonesia and the US had a very long history of cooperation in various fields. As the largest country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia played a key role in maintaining the stability of this region, he said.

“I really understand the rebalancing policy pursued by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region,” Moeldoko said, adding that he also raised the issue with China when he visited there during his time as TNI commander. “The most important point is that countries with major influence in the region don’t pursue policies that can potentially destabilize the Asia-Pacific region.”