Indonesia curbs foreign troops in aid work
U.S., other forces must go in March; relief workers told to state itineraries
By Jim Gomez
Associated Press
Published January 13, 2005
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Foreign aid workers in Indonesia's tsunami-stricken Aceh province must take military escorts to areas facing insurgency violence, the government announced Thursday, the latest in a series of security demands that also require U.S. and other foreign troops providing relief to leave the country by the end of March.
The government's moves--which include an order Wednesday that aid workers declare their travel plans or face expulsion--highlight its sensitivities over foreign military involvement in a humanitarian effort and underscore its efforts to regain control of Aceh province, site of a decades-old conflict between separatist rebels and federal troops accused of human-rights abuses.
Indonesian military spokesman Col. Ahmad Yani Basuki said in a telephone interview that the army considers only the areas around the provincial capital Banda Aceh and the stricken coastal town of Meulaboh safe for foreigners.
"Other areas aside from that are potential trouble spots," he said. Anyone going to the troubled zones must take military escorts. But Basuki warned: "We don't have enough personnel to secure everyone."
The latest restrictions placed on the international presence came as the aircraft carrier leading the U.S. military's tsunami relief effort sailed out of Indonesian waters Wednesday after the government declined to let the ship's fighter pilots use its airspace for training missions. The USS Abraham Lincoln's diversion was not expected to affect aid flights.
U.S. Marines also have scaled back their plans to send hundreds of troops ashore to build roads and clear rubble. The two sides reached a compromise in which the Americans agreed not to set up a base camp in Indonesia or carry weapons.
Instead, the Marines--about 2,000 of whom were diverted to tsunami relief from duty in Iraq--will keep a "minimal footprint" in the country, with most returning to ships at night, said Col. Tom Greenwood, commander of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
In Washington, the White House asked the Indonesian government to explain why it was demanding that the U.S. military and other foreign troops providing disaster relief leave the country by March 31.
"We'll seek further clarification from Indonesia about what this means," said Scott McClellan, White House press secretary.
In announcing the decision, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Wednesday that "a three-month period is enough, even sooner the better."
Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi explained that Indonesia hopes to take over the humanitarian work by March 26, which will be exactly three months after the powerful 9.0 magnitude earthquake set off waves that struck Southern Asia and Eastern Africa and killed more than 150,000 people, two-thirds of them on Sumatra.
Starting Jan. 26, Indonesia will "gradually take over the role of foreign military and non-military assistance," Silalahi said. By Feb. 26, he said, Indonesia's role should be larger than that of the foreigners.
About 13,000 U.S. military personnel are taking part in the relief effort.
In Indonesia, hundreds of troops from other nations are also helping out, along with UN agencies and scores of non-governmental aid groups.
Australia has more than 600 troops in Aceh and expects to have about 300 more by week's end. Japan has sent two ships with 350 troops, and has promised to deploy about 1,000. Germany and Britain each has a smaller presence, involving mostly medical teams.
UN officials worried the new rules might delay the delivery of supplies.
"Any requirements that would create any additional bottlenecks or delays or otherwise adversely affect our operations need to be reviewed very carefully," said Kevin Kennedy at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Separately Wednesday, rich creditor nations meeting in Paris offered to let tsunami-affected countries halt repayments on billions of dollars of debt, possibly for as long as a year, the chairman of the Paris Club said.
Jean-Pierre Jouyet said the group of 19 wealthy nations--including the United States--would allow any country directly affected by the disaster to halt debt repayments if they wished. Only Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Seychelles have expressed an interest so far, he said.
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