Obama talk about army

In the midst of planning the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Indonesia, his government was trying to lift the ban training Kopassus forces (Kopassus). The ban had been imposed by the U.S. government for 12 years.

Government Obama was planning to test the training program for young members of Kopassus. Four members of Kopassus, including his boss, Maj. Gen. Paul Lodewijk, was in Washington to discuss the plan.

"Details are resolved," said embassy spokesman for Indonesia as reported by the Washington Post, Wednesday (3/3/2010).

After meeting with the U.S. Army Command chief, Admiral Robert F Willard in Jakarta in February, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has estimated that the collaboration between the U.S. and the Special Forces will return to continue.

Obama's government step shows a desire to improve relations with Indonesia. "This is a very good sign," said Ernie Bower, an expert on Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about the arrival of a delegation to Washington the Special Forces.

According to the 1997 decision known as Rule Leahy, the U.S. must not make the training of military units that have a history of foreign human rights violations unless the government takes effective steps to prosecute the perpetrators.

According to sources, to get around the rules, the government will only mentraining Obama and joint exercises with Kopassus soldiers are due to their age, could not be involved in human rights violations before the Special Forces.

But the move was rejected by various parties, including Obama's own party, the Democrats.

"We know there are some who want to continue aid to Kopassus, but U.S. law requires that the Indonesian government took steps to prosecute the members of Kopassus," said Senator Patrick J Leahy who heads the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on State Department.