Countries in the European Union have lifted their ban on the sale of arms to Indonesia.

The embargo was put in place in September when pro-Indonesian militias went on the rampage in East Timor after the territory voted for independence.

An EU statement said the ban was only temporary and that it welcomed steps by the Indonesian government to strengthen the country's democracy.

But the EU warned it was still concerned by the ethnic and separatist violence in other areas of Indonesia, such as the Moluccan islands and Aceh. The human rights group Amnesty International has objected to lifting the embargo, saying it's impossible to guarantee that European armaments won't be used as a means of repression.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service