ID :
113340
Thu, 03/25/2010 - 07:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/113340
The shortlink copeid
KOPASSUS`S RELATIONS WITH US REMAIN GOOD : COMMANDER
Jakarta, March 24 (ANTARA) - The commander of Army's Special Force (Kopassus), Brigadier General Lodewijk Freidrich Paulus, said that Kopassus's relations with the US Special Force have remained good.
"Dialogue is continuing. So far, so good," he said to newsmen after a post transfer ceremony at the Military Police Headquarters here on Wednesday.
He said the dialogue with the US Special Force was still continuing despite uncertainty with regard to joint exercises between the two forces.
Lodewijk said joint exercises would benefit the two parties as they both had an interest in improving their professionalism, especially in fighting terrorism.
"Both have the same interest. The two countries need each other. For us the context is terrorism. We need them and they also need us. So we are supporting each other," he said.
Kopassus's cooperation in education and training with the US stopped after the US imposed a military embargo on Indonesia in 1999.
But after the embargo was lifted in November 2005, the US was still reluctant to resume its cooperation program with Kopassus.
Following the lifting of the embargo the US did resume its International Military Education and Training (IMET) program and cooperation in Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Financing and Defense Export.
In connection with the problem , Indonesia early this month had sent a team to the US to explore the possibility for Kopassus members to train in the US. The team members come from the defense ministry, the foreign affairs ministry and the defense forces (TNI) headquarters.
Although the results were positive there had was still no certainty when Kopassus could again train in the US.
Army Chief of Staff General George Touisutta meanwhile denied that Kopassus personnel had been stationed in Aceh.
"After the Helsinki agreement we quit. No Kopassus personnel is there any more," he said after attending the post transfer ceremony.
The general said US journalist Allan Nairn lied by his recent statement accusing Kopassus of being involved in a number of politically motivated murders in Aceh during the general elections in 2009.
Allan said at least eight activists of the Aceh Party had been killed by Kopassus personnel on orders from higher-ups in Jakarta. ***
"Dialogue is continuing. So far, so good," he said to newsmen after a post transfer ceremony at the Military Police Headquarters here on Wednesday.
He said the dialogue with the US Special Force was still continuing despite uncertainty with regard to joint exercises between the two forces.
Lodewijk said joint exercises would benefit the two parties as they both had an interest in improving their professionalism, especially in fighting terrorism.
"Both have the same interest. The two countries need each other. For us the context is terrorism. We need them and they also need us. So we are supporting each other," he said.
Kopassus's cooperation in education and training with the US stopped after the US imposed a military embargo on Indonesia in 1999.
But after the embargo was lifted in November 2005, the US was still reluctant to resume its cooperation program with Kopassus.
Following the lifting of the embargo the US did resume its International Military Education and Training (IMET) program and cooperation in Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Financing and Defense Export.
In connection with the problem , Indonesia early this month had sent a team to the US to explore the possibility for Kopassus members to train in the US. The team members come from the defense ministry, the foreign affairs ministry and the defense forces (TNI) headquarters.
Although the results were positive there had was still no certainty when Kopassus could again train in the US.
Army Chief of Staff General George Touisutta meanwhile denied that Kopassus personnel had been stationed in Aceh.
"After the Helsinki agreement we quit. No Kopassus personnel is there any more," he said after attending the post transfer ceremony.
The general said US journalist Allan Nairn lied by his recent statement accusing Kopassus of being involved in a number of politically motivated murders in Aceh during the general elections in 2009.
Allan said at least eight activists of the Aceh Party had been killed by Kopassus personnel on orders from higher-ups in Jakarta. ***
