US defence secretary in Indonesia

The American defence secretary, William Cohen, has arrived in Indonesia for two days of talks with President Suharto and government officials.

He said he wanted to assure Indonesia of strong security and economic backing at a time of economic turmoil in the region, but stressed that his talks would concentrate on defence issues.

Last June, Indonesia cancelled a deal to buy nine American F-16 jet fighters after criticism of its human rights record in the US Congress.

Instead, it said it would buy Russian planes.

Correspondents say the United States has been trying to rebuild military links with Indonesia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service