Air Force cargo planes back in the air: Hanafie<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Several Air Force cargo planes will be back in
\nthe air after the United States eased a military assistance
\nsuspension on Indonesia last September, Air Force chief of staff
\nAir Marshal Hanafie Asnan said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"We are glad that some of our cargo planes will be flying
\nafter they have been parked for several months due to the U.S.
\nsuspension of its military aids, including spare parts, in
\nSeptember 1999,\" Hanafie said during a gathering to break the
\nfast.<\/p>\n
He would not reveal the number of planes which had to be
\ngrounded following the suspension of aircraft spare-part
\ntransfers or sales.<\/p>\n
The suspension was lifted on Sept. 24, 2000, based on the U.S.
\nState Department's consideration of the planes' important role in
\nsupplying logistics to remote areas in the country.<\/p>\n
Hanafie said the U.S. government should further consider
\nlifting the entire suspension as the Indonesian government had
\nshown its political commitment in trying alleged perpetrators of
\nhuman rights abuse in East Timor.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the whole suspension will be lifted as soon as
\npossible in an effort to enhance the two countries' bilateral
\nties,\" he said, adding that the suspension had not affected the
\ngood ties between the two countries' defense forces.<\/p>\n
Following the suspension, an American-made F-5 Tiger jet
\nfighter undergoing regular service was not allowed to leave the
\nUnited States and three jet engines remained in South Korea and
\nNew Zealand.<\/p>\n
Asked about the Singaporean government's plan to donate 17
\nMercetti training aircraft to Indonesia, Hanafie said Singapore
\nwas awaiting approval for the military aid from parliament.<\/p>\n
\"Despite the uneasy relations between the two countries, so
\nfar, the Singaporean government has no plan to cancel the
\nhandover of the planes,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Singaporean military has agreed with its government to
\ngrant the planes to Indonesia. Besides having to spend a large
\namount of money on maintenance costs, its pilots have undergone
\ntraining programs overseas. (rms)<\/p>",
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