In 1999, Washington cut military ties with Indonesia, which ranged from military training to equipment supply, after pro-Jakarta militias, backed by Indonesian soldiers, razed East Timor following its vote to break from Jakarta's often brutal rule. The United States has regularly clashed with the outspoken Mahfud over a range of issues since he became defense minister last August. U.S. embassy officials in Jakarta were not available for comment on Monday. Witnesses in Sampit, a town in strife-torn Central Kalimantan province, have previously said troops and police stationed there did little to halt attacks by indigenous Dayaks against Madurese settlers. Fresh fighting between Dayaks and Madurese flared last week in a different part of Central Kalimantan, leaving up to 17 people dead.
Officials say the region is now calm.
When former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen visited Jakarta last September, Mahfud said the U.S. embargo was partly to blame for Indonesia's problems disarming pro-Jakarta Timorese militias that had based themselves in Indonesian West Timor. Reuters contributed to this report. Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.