JAKARTA, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States has indicated that it is considering resuming military and defense cooperation with Indonesia and lifting arms embargo on the country following the warming up of relations during tsunami rescue and relief operations.

    US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who visited Indonesia on Jan. 15-16, said on Sunday that after the presidential elections last year which elected Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to the presidency, the United States is considering how to help "strengthen the newly elected democratic government and its civilian defense minister" by resuming military ties with Indonesia.

    The United States Congress cut military ties with Indonesia in 1999 over the violence in East Timor, which was reportedly orchestrated by the Indonesia military, or TNI. The United States also imposed arms embargo on Indonesia in 1991 and 1999 over East Timor.

    East Timor won independence from Indonesia following a UN-sponsored referendum in 1999.

    "It is not only the issue of past right abuses, but we would also like to see how the TNI has endeavored to put itself under the control of civilian supremacy," the local daily Jakarta Post quoted Wolfowitz as saying after he held talks with Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono on Sunday.

    Wolfowitz, who is a former US ambassador in Jakarta, also said that the United States wants to help Indonesia reshape its military according to the model of the United States military.

    "We need to think about how we can strengthen this newly elected democratic government, strengthen the civilian defense minister... to help build the kind of defense institution that will ensure in the future that the Indonesian military, like our military, is a loyal function of a democratic government," he said. ¡¡

    He expressed optimism that the United States Congress will support the resumption of military cooperation with Indonesia, because that has political significance for Indonesia.

    "We need to work closely with the Congress. These are issues that the US people feel deeply about, but I hope they will perhapssee them in a new light, not only because of what we need to do inAceh but equally importantly because of what is happening here on the political front," he said.

    As for the negative effect of arms embargo on the capability ofIndonesian military to carry out rescue and relief operations in tsunami-stricken areas, Wolfowitz said that the United States is doing its best to strengthen the ability of Indonesian military torespond to the disaster.

    He said that the United States has partially lifted its arms embargo by providing Indonesian military with spare parts of C-130military aircraft.

    He also said that lifting arms embargo and resuming military ties will also "make it possible for Indonesia to respond more quickly and effectively in a crisis like this one". Enditem ¡¡