Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is not worried that the US until now would not as yet want to reopen education and training programs for the country`s army elite unit Kopassus, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said.

The US stopped the program for Kopassus after imposing a military embargo in 1999.
Purnomo said Kopassus could still conduct training and exercises with other countries such as Australia.

"So we must not be narrow minded and focus on the Kopassus training issue. The context of cooperation between Indonesia and the US is wider," he said.

The defense forces` commander General Djoko Santoso said earlier that the US had signaled that it would revoke the ban on the training and education program for Kopassus.

He said the resumption of the program in the US might be started in 2011. "Let us just wait for its process," he said.

Although the US had already revoked the military embargo in 2005 the training and education program for Kopassus had not yet been resumed until now.

After the revocation of the embargo the US opened the International Military Education and Training (IMET), the Foreign Military Sales (FMS), the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and Defense Exports.

In connection with the issue Indonesia early this week sent a team to the US to explore the possibility for resuming the Kopassus training program. The team has members from the defense ministry, the foreign ministry and the defense forces` headquarters.(*)

Editor: Heru
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