The commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific says it will be easier to fight terrorism in Indonesia if the United States resumes normal military relations with Jakarta.

But, Admiral Dennis Blair told reporters in Singapore that Indonesia will first have to raise the standards of its military, which has been accused of brutality in the past. At the same time Admiral Blair noted that Indonesia's military is making progress on human rights issues.

Washington cut military ties with Jakarta after the violence surrounding the vote for independence in East Timor in 1999. The violence was blamed on Indonesian military-backed militias.

Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have arrested dozens of suspected terrorists in recent weeks. Some of those detained are said to have ties to Muslim groups in Indonesia.

Admiral Blair is on a tour of Southeast Asia that will take him to Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

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