US says Darwin base no threat to the region

SENIOR US officials, including a high-ranking member of the country’s Pacific forces, have downplayed lingering concerns in Indonesia over plans to station US marines in Australia’s Northern Territory.

The establishment of the new base will eventually result in up to 2500 marines being deployed near Darwin, just 800km from Indonesia.

The plan attracted criticism in diplomatic circles and from senior Indonesian military figures when it was announced by US President Barack Obama in November during a visit to Australia.

Analysts have described the plan as part of a US response to China’s growth as a Pacific power.

But US ambassador to Indonesia Scott Marciel, speaking on the sidelines of a conference on defence cooperation, has again moved to allay concerns that the new base could add to tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Five years ago, when I returned to South-East Asia, there were complaints in general that the US was not doing enough in the region,” Mr Marciel said, the Jakarta Post reported on Friday.

“It is in our national interest for Indonesia and South-East Asian countries to be peaceful and prosperous,” he said.

Lieutenant General Duane Thiessen, commander of the US Marine Corps in the Pacific, said the deployment would also allow training and engagement with countries in the region, the newspaper reported.

At the time of the plan’s announcement, Indonesian military commander Admiral Agus Suhartono warned the increased US military presence, seen as a hedge against Chinese influence in the region, could fuel tensions in relation to a maritime dispute over the South China Sea.

It also led to friction at the Association of South-East Asian Nations summit in Bali in November, where Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the US deployment could create “a vicious cycle of tensions”.

The issue was subsequently discussed between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during a meeting as the summit.

Dr Yudhoyono said Ms Gillard had assured him the move would not threaten Indonesia’s integrity or sovereignty. - AAP