Ghalib doubts tapped chat's authenticity<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Attorney General Lt. Gen. A.M. Ghalib on Friday
\nagain expressed his doubts about the authenticity of the recently
\nleaked bugged conversation he allegedly had with President B.J.
\nHabibie. At the same time he blasted the press for exaggerating
\nthe issue.<\/p>\n
Ghalib also told the press after an unscheduled meeting with
\nHabibie at Merdeka Palace that he would hold a hearing with the
\nHouse of Representatives (DPR) to clarify his side of the
\ncontroversy.<\/p>\n
\"Whether the voices in the cassette are truly the President's
\nand mine, further evidence should be sought because with
\nsophisticated technology it is not impossible these voices were
\neither engineered or manipulated,\" Ghalib said.<\/p>\n
Ghalib was initially reluctant to talk to journalists, but
\nlater spoke briefly to them after distributing a written
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
\"The (scandal) has had an extreme effect on my concentration
\nwhile I am handling big cases which need quick and thorough
\nsolutions,\" he hinted.<\/p>\n
Habibie has implicitly confirmed the authenticity of the
\nbugged conversation, and ordered Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander
\nGen. Wiranto to trace the phone tappers.<\/p>\n
A palace official said on Friday Habibie was upset with
\nGhalib's continued denial because it would only undermine his own
\ncredibility.<\/p>\n
\"The publication of the tapped conversation without my
\nconfirmation has indeed violated our rights and it was a very
\nunpleasant act,\" Ghalib said. He added he had not heard the
\ntapped communication, but promised to explain the matter to the
\nHouse of Representatives on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He conceded the magazine had in fact solicited his
\nconfirmation prior to the publication but said he was too busy to
\nmeet with its journalists at the time.<\/p>\n
Ghalib also acknowledged that Habibie often telephoned him,
\nand that they sometimes used their cellular phones. But he
\ninsisted the President never asked him to violate the law.<\/p>\n
\"Never in any conversation has he ever ordered me to do
\nanything against the law or the prevailing legal procedures,\" he
\nasserted.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung, who is Golkar
\nchairman, described as \"irrelevant\" the United Development Party
\n(PPP) faction's motion to summon Habibie over the issue. He said
\nhe had instructed the Golkar faction to block any attempt to
\nsummon the President to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Former Golkar leader Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said in Bandung on
\nFriday that political interests would determine whether Habibie
\nwould really appear at the House to clarify the matter.<\/p>\n
He believed certain factions' motion to summon Habibie was
\nmore of a marketing gimmick of their parties in the run-up to the
\nJune 7 elections. (prb\/43)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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