Transcript: Background Briefing on Cohen Southeast Asia Trip
(Trip to convey U.S. support for democratic process)Secretary of Defense William Cohen's upcoming trip to Southeast Asia will serve as a vehicle to communicate U.S. support and resolve not only for a strong U.S. relationship with Indonesia and with Southeast Asia, but support for democratic process, according to a senior U.S. government official.
During a background briefing at the Pentagon September 24, the official said Cohen will depart September 27 and stop in Hawaii to review the situation in Asia as a whole, and specifically developments in Indonesia and in East Timor, with U.S. Pacific Commander (CINCPAC) Admiral Blair.
The secretary will then depart for northern Australia for stops in both Cairns and Darwin to meet with his counterpart, Minister Moore, to have detailed discussions about the Timor situation and how the deployment is faring and how the United States is working with the international force.
From Australia, Cohen will proceed to Indonesia as a representative of the highest levels of the U.S. government. "Secretary Cohen," the briefer said, "has had real interests, deep interests in Southeast Asia and particularly in Indonesia. ...He is there at a critical time and I think he wants to bring the message of how important to continue the process, the democratic process in Indonesia on the eve of their all important MPR, their constitutional assembly."
Cohen, the briefer said, will also want to make the point about the need for cooperation on the ground in East Timor as long as Indonesian armed forces are represented there, and that there needs to be full cooperation with UN forces.
From Indonesia, the briefer said, the Secretary will go to a variety of other stops in Southeast Asia -- Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines-- to not only review the situation on the ground in Timor, but also talk about broader U.S. strategic interests.
Following is the Pentagon transcript:
(begin transcript)
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
(PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301Background Briefing
Subject: SecDef's Trip to Southeast Asia
Attributable to a Senior Defense Department Official
Friday, September 24, 1999PENTAGON SPOKESMAN KENNETH BACON: This is a senior government official whom you know, but this is his name. We'll shut the cameras off because this is on background.
BRIEFER: Good afternoon.
I'm here to brief on the upcoming Secretary Cohen's trip to Asia, and I'll just take you through it quickly and then if there are any questions I'll be happy to take them.
We'll leave early Monday and we'll have a brief stop in Hawaii where the Secretary will have the opportunity to meet with Admiral Blair again, review the situation in Asia as a whole, and specifically on developments in Indonesia and in Timor, and then we will fly, depart for northern Australia where Secretary Cohen will spend about a day and a half. During that stop in both Cairns and Darwin we will meet with Secretary Cohen's counterpart, Minister Moore, where he'll have detailed discussions about the situation and how the deployment is faring and how the United States is working with the international force.
We'll also have a chance in Darwin to visit U.S. forces and other forces that are on the ground and preparing to go into East Timor. There will be an opportunity to meet with the soldiers, sailors and marines from throughout the region who are there now staging, prepared to go in.
We'll also have an opportunity to meet with some Indonesian experts that the government of Australia will have as part of the Ministry of Defense delegation that will be coming up to meet our team. From there we will proceed to Indonesia.
Q: Is he going to meet with Moore in Cairns or Darwin?
BRIEFER: Both. In fact I think we'll spend quite a bit of time with Minister of Defense team. We're, as you know, basically almost in hourly contact with them. This is an opportunity for us to really review what's going on on the ground, get a sense of how our participation is working and I think sort of fill in where we can in terms of what we think next steps look like along the lines that Admiral Blair has discussed.
From northern Australia we'll proceed to Indonesia. I just want to say there that Secretary Cohen is obviously the Secretary of Defense but he's also a senior Cabinet official, and he really goes to Indonesia in that capacity and as a representative at the highest levels of the U.S. government.
I think all of you know that both as Secretary and before, Senator and Secretary Cohen have had real interests, deep interests in Southeast Asia and particularly in Indonesia. This is his third trip in about 22-24 months. He is there at a critical time and I think he wants to bring the message of how important to continue the process, the democratic process in Indonesia on the eve of their all important MPR, their constitutional assembly.
He'll also want to make the point about the need for cooperation on the ground in East Timor as long as TNI are represented there, and that there needs to be full cooperation with UN forces. And our hope, of course, that the referendum is acted on quickly within the context of the MPR.
I think the Secretary will also say quite publicly our expectation and hope that the military, that TNI will work within the context of a strong and constitutional civilian elite in Indonesia, and we see this trip as very important as communicating U.S. support and resolve not only for a strong U.S. relationship with Indonesia and with Southeast Asia, but support for democratic process.
From Indonesia the Secretary will go to a variety of other stops in Southeast Asia to not only review the situation on the ground in Timor, but also talk about broader U.S. strategic interests.
The Secretary will, of course, want to brief Asian friends on recent developments, specifically sort of the resumption of high level political contacts between China and the United States with President Clinton and Jiang Zemin's I think successful bilateral in Auckland.
We will go to Thailand, we will go to Singapore, and we will go to the Philippines, spending about a day in each country.
Obviously in Thailand we'll want to commend Thai officials at the highest levels for their strong support on the ground in Timor. They're the second largest contributor to the UN operation there. And we'll also want to talk about next steps.
Singapore is obviously a key country for the United States in the sense that they have really stepped up in terms of supporting long term American interests and long term U.S. security presence in Southeast Asia.
And we'll also go to the Philippines. As you might recall the Secretary went there last year. Since that time the Philippines has passed the Visiting Forces Agreement which allows, it opens the door for a new phase, a new period in U.S./Philippine security cooperation. I think we'll want to talk about next steps in that regard.
I think it's also important -- always as is the case after a period when we've been focused a lot on European and other developments -- that the Secretary communicates how strong U.S. interests and concerns are in maintaining peace and stability in the Asian Pacific region. So we see this as a very important trip. We have a lot to accomplish.
One other thing I will say, that it looks like a small team from the Secretary's party will go from Singapore into Dili, into East Timor, to review the situation on the ground and report back to the Secretary later that day, just to get a sense, again, of how the situation is working on the ground.
With that as a general overview -- obviously the Admiral's answered a lot of the policy questions--but if there are any specific questions I'll do my best to answer them.
Q: Is he not going to Dili himself out of security concerns or...
BRIEFER: No. I think the primary reason is that we're at a very early stage in the operation. They have made clear that their job one is getting established. Visits of high level delegations in early parts of operations are generally thought of as diverting necessary resources from other critical tasks, so the idea is to go in quietly, very low key, and then report back.
Q: How concerned are you about the apparent unrest in Jakarta against Western governments in general and the U.S. in particular in light of this visit?
BRIEFER: To the extent that we're worried and concerned about national displays in Indonesia, I think generally speaking the message that the Secretary will carry is that the West, the United States and Australia, desires a strong relationship with Indonesia and we'll be consistent in that message. That has always been the case and that will be the case for the future.
We obviously worry about unrest. We worry about a situation in Indonesia where some of the hopeful democratic and economic signs are undermined.
Q: Who are the opposition leaders he will be meeting with?
BRIEFER: I can't give you a full rundown on who the Secretary will meet. I will tell you that we will meet with a range of people in the military and in the civilian government and also probably others outside of government. I'd like to get you that as we get a little closer, in the next couple of days I guess.
But the goal here of course is to have a broad range of all Indonesians, not simply just for the military.
Q: Are the Christians, the refugees which I believe were largely Christian that went into West Timor and are in camps there, are they safe where they are? Are those Christians who are still being persecuted in East Timor at the present time or are they secure at this point, or do you know?
BRIEFER: Let me handle the refugee aspect of it. First of all there's a very large percentage of refugees, displaced people on the move in East Timor and many of them have moved into West Timor. One of the messages that Secretary Cohen will carry, of course, into Indonesia is our hope and expectation that we will be able to work closely to ensure order in western Timor and that AID workers and other humanitarian organizations are given access to many of these displaced people that are living in camps along the border.
We think that the refugee problem and the problem -- the humanitarian dimension of the crisis -- is likely to be our very next sort of situation that we face.
The question that you asked or someone asked about the militia, that's one part of the problem. I think the other two parts are that there will be an almost immediate humanitarian disaster -- disease, food, water -- that we are going to have to address as an international community as rapidly as possible. And that challenge will extend not just to East Timor but of course to West Timor as you asked.
The second issue that I think was referred to, the question about Australian involvement in East Timor, was in the context of how long it will take to build a nation which Timor will be. And that will take years and years and years and it will require a concerted effort not only by Australia, but by all countries in the international community, and by the international financial institutions and other key players.
Q: You talked about the Philippines. Does that envision any resumption of the use of training areas that we used to have there? The (inaudible) impact range and any of that sort of stuff?
BRIEFER: We're going to discuss all aspects of continued and enhanced military cooperation and training with the Philippines. I do want to underscore, however, our Philippine friends are very sensitive about how we work with the Philippines, and we want to be clear that everything we do with the Philippines has to be done in a way where the Philippine government is briefed, it's transparent, and that they support our actions.
We acknowledge and accept that this is a very new phase in our relationship. We're moving away from our paternalist past. This is a future in which we work together as equal partners. So it's not only the United States coming in and asking what we want in terms of training and logistics and other kinds of cooperation, but also what our Philippine friends want, what they desire from us in terms of a new security and military relationship for the 21st Century.
Q: Do you look for any agreements to be signed, for instance, perhaps joint maneuver exercises or anything like that?
BRIEFER: I think it's likely throughout the trip that we will have some modest and perhaps not so modest initiatives that enhance our ability to work with countries throughout Southeast Asia. I wouldn't just talk about the Philippines. We're looking at a broad range of possible areas to enhance our engagement.
Q: Could you take a crack at the potential size of the U.S. force eventually in East Timor? A couple of weeks ago they said 400, then it was 200, then it was 250. Is 400 still a ceiling or is there no ceiling?
BRIEFER: Having Admiral Blair right here before me and have him...
Q: You're on background.
BRIEFER: I understand that. And I'm also in back of him as well.
Let me just say that I think he laid it out very clearly. We will do what we can to support our Australian friends within the general context that the President has laid out.
I do want to say also, if I can give an aside, I think it's important for all of us to be careful how we sort of define our participation in the operation as a whole. We have to keep in mind that Timor is an island, so just talking about it in terms of sort of boots on the ground diminishes the role that other services in supporting roles around the island -- remember we have a tremendous asset which is called the 7th Fleet, and also a lot of airlift potential -- which are not reflected or captured by those simple numbers. So I think we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of the sort of I think stale measurements that do not reflect the full nature of our commitment to Australia and to the UN force.
Q: Will Secretary Cohen's visit to Indonesia mark a resumption in any way of military-to-military cooperation?
BRIEFER: No, they will not. In fact I think the Admiral was very clear. Conditions are not right at this time for that kind of resumption. We're there to carry a message to the Indonesian government about our hope and expectation for cooperation on the ground in Timor, our hope for a democratic transition, transformation, and to indicate what steps will need to be taken in order for us to be able to resume contacts with them in the future.
Q: What steps would they be?
BRIEFER: Those will be spelled out in private discussions. We'll be able to brief you as the trip goes on.
Q: Have the messages from Washington and from the various military people, all the messages that have gone from the U.S. government to the Indonesian government at various levels and so forth, have those messages been strong enough? Have they been blunt enough? Have the Indonesians gotten the message?
BRIEFER: In a meeting that we had with Australian friends last week we totaled up the number of high level demarches, and I mean demarches that have been made to the TNI and the senior civilian elite about the situation on Timor over the last several months. They're well over 100 now.
Q: (inaudible)
BRIEFER: No. Australian. Remember, the country that has the strongest military contacts with Indonesia by an order of magnitude is Australia. But we have worked very closely in making sure that our messages are consistent.
Q: This is U.S. and Australia.
BRIEFER: Yes. And we've tried to be very firm and very clear about what our expectations are in terms of maintenance of order and acceptance of the UN process that was put in place initially by the Indonesian government. So my sense is that I completely agree with what Admiral Blair has indicated. We have always tried to say what our expectations are. We have also said that we do have a desire to maintain a relationship with Indonesia and with the Indonesian military.
I think too often there's been too much focus on that latter message and not enough on the former in the press.
Q: Can you address a question of the degree of complicity of the Indonesian military in this? Will Wiranto be directly connected to any decisions to...
BRIEFER: I can't add to anything beyond what Admiral Blair has indicated just before me. I think there are signs of worry and concern in terms of the activities by TNI, but I also agree that it's a mixed picture if you look over the period of history and also Indonesia as a whole.
As you know, there are deliberations now underway in Geneva and in the UN about an international effort to have a review of the tragedy and atrocities that have occurred in Timor.
Q: Are you still maintaining that Australia never actually officially asked the U.S. for troops on the ground? For combat troops?
Briefer: I'm not sure I understand... Is that one of those double negative questions? I'm not sure. How am I supposed to answer that?
Q: Is it your position that Australia never officially asked the U.S. for troops on the ground? For combat troops?
BRIEFER: I think I'll stand by what Admiral Blair has indicated, that in forums of the dialogue and discussion that we've had with the Australians and the areas where we've had consultation about specific areas of cooperation and U.S. support, I think we have been very forthcoming. I believe the next step in that process, obviously, is going to be Secretary Cohen having direct meetings with his counterparts in Australia to see how it's going. I think everything I can tell in my discussions, and again I'm doing it almost daily with Australian military defense friends, is that I don't think we've ever had this kind of cooperation before. It is extensive and it is intensive.
I will assure you that it has been a strong Australian desire all along to lead this operation and for us to play a supporting role and we, the United States is committed to playing a strong supporting role.
Q: Could you spell out what potential role you see for the 7th Fleet? I mean short of like an amphibious assault, what could they...
BRIEFER: No, I mean we're already playing. We've got ships in the area around...
Q: But what...
BRIEFER: They fly helicopters back and forth. There are a lot of roles that can be played in support of operations on the ground. So that's what I'm saying.
Remember, think of this not as some, this is not a continental situation, this is an island. So some of our unique abilities are our naval capabilities right off shore.
Q: Before the United States decides whether or not to resume relations with the Indonesian military are you going to have your own investigation into the role of the military, the role of specific units or leaders?
BRIEFER: I can't specify that now, but I will tell you I think the level of interest in this is very high on Capitol Hill, it's very high inside our building, it's very high inside Indonesia and in the international community. I think there will be extensive investigations about what transpired on the ground in Timor.
Q: What (inaudible) Indonesia have to meet for us to reestablish...
BRIEFER: I said I wasn't going to get into that but I do believe that the Secretary is going to be quite clear about the fact that we do desire in the future a resumption of dialogue and a relationship with Indonesia across the board. But that we want very much, for instance, for the referendum to be implemented on Timor. We'd like a clear sense of a civilian transition inside Indonesia. There are all things that we think are important.
Q: How close are we to elections in Indonesia, pardon my ignorance (inaudible), and how close are we to (inaudible)?
BRIEFER: As you know, there has already been an election in Indonesia. On October 1st the MPR which is their constitutional assembly, is scheduled to sit. And it is through that process over the next several months, few months, that the President of Indonesia and the Vice President and then other officials will be named. So we are on the verge of a historic process in Indonesia which will take Indonesia into the post-Suharto era in a fundamental sense.
Q: To the Philippines, and to maybe beyond. Will there be any discussion of missile defense with the Philippine leaders? And if so, then can you tell us possibly about what the agreement with North Korea, the U.S., and their bilaterals now means toward theater missile defense in Japan and South Korea, etc.?
BRIEFER: That is one of the hardest questions... I really am not sure where you're going with that.
Q: Well, I'm just wondering.
BRIEFER: If I can say. Our Philippine friends have more basic security and military needs. They're looking at trying to rebuild an air force, they're trying to acquire ships to build sort of the beginnings of a navy, and so I think their security interests are at this juncture much more basic. Really just trying to field a military for the neighborhood, shall we say.
Obviously in all of our discussions we talk about a range of strategic issues including our relations with China, TMD.
Generally speaking, Southeast Asian countries are not as concerned or as interested in those topics as Northeast Asian countries are.
Q: (inaudible) So the security defense coming to Indonesia, the Indonesian people will see that maybe the support from the Pentagon. What is the comment about that?
BRIEFER: First of all it's not our intention to interfere in the actual process of democracy inside Indonesia. Far from it. We want to commend Indonesia to continue on the path of democracy and we think that the MPR is extraordinarily valuable and critical for that process to take shape. We do not play favorites and we do not pick candidates, and we will not do so. That's why I indicated that the Secretary desires to meet with a broad range of people and make a very clear statement to Indonesia as a friend of Indonesia, as a friend of Southeast Asia, our desire to see this process continue.
I tried to indicate that the Secretary will go to Indonesia really as a Cabinet member and as a Cabinet Secretary who has long interests and connections with Southeast Asia. So he is not meeting simply with the military. Indeed, that is the purpose of the trip is to broaden our engagement and to make that message heard loud and clear.
Q: As bad as the recent violence has been in East Timor, apparently the violence in Aceh and the violence right after the Indonesian invasion in East Timor was apparently significantly worse. (inaudible) said something like 200,000 people perished in East Timor alone.
As various investigations get up, if you could put on your scholar hat for a minute and say what is the likelihood that these human rights abuse investigations will take a broader look and a more historic look?
BRIEFER: I don't want to get into that specific issue. I do want to say that the U.S. government and I believe the international community has made clear our desire to see a strong, secure and stable Indonesia. And that we see East Timor as a special case. And we have urged Indonesian officials and the Indonesian government to address problems in places like Aceh and Irian Jaya through dialogue and discussion and not through repression. That is our continuing hope.
But I think we have to acknowledge very clearly the challenges that Indonesia faces both economically and politically in the coming years.
Q: There are protests today in Indonesia over this new, giving the military greater powers in times of emergency. Will Cohen be delivering a message about that? Do we have an opinion on it? And could you explain a little bit what...
BRIEFER: I think it would be fair to say that we're going to ask clarity from the Indonesian government about these new measures. I think we want more of an explanation first. And I think on a general note, I think the Secretary's going to try to make very clear our interest in a civilian process and a civilian government.
Q: (inaudible)
BRIEFER: I didn't quite say that. I think we're going to want to see, ask more questions. We don't really know enough about it yet, and we want very clearly to make the case that it is the role of the military to support the civilians, to support the civilian government. That is why we think is critical for Indonesia to move into the 21st Century as a country that is welcomed and engaged positively by all the countries in the international community.
Thank you all very much.
PRESS: Thank you.
(end transcript)
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