JAKARTA, Jan 6: US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday he hoped Indonesia would use new US aircraft spare parts only for tsunami relief work rather than to "go after" rebel forces in its devastated province of Aceh.

Officials from both countries on Wednesday said the United States will ease restrictions on military cargo plane part sales to Indonesia to help it with relief operations after Asia's Dec. 26 tsunami, which killed about 150,000 people.

Humanitarian concerns for the tsunami survivors trumped US worries about Indonesian human rights abuses that led Washington to stop most sales of military-related equipment to Indonesia, Powell told US reporters.

Powell said the agreement was not entirely worked out and he hoped Indonesia's desire to maintain good relations with the United States would ensure Jakarta would use the C-130H transport plane parts only for relief work.

"I hope if we can get this taken care of the government of Indonesia will use the planes for their intended purpose ... and in order to keep that relationship flourishing would not use them in a way not intended, i.e.. going after the GAM," he said, referring to the Free Aceh Movement rebels in Aceh.

Most US military sales to Indonesia have been on hold since Indonesian soldiers and the militia they backed in East Timor were accused of human rights violations when the tiny territory voted to break from Indonesia in 1999.

Indonesia says that because of the ban it has problems in maintaining its airlift capacity, and thus in how much its armed forces can do in rescue and aid work. -Reuters