I trust Wiranto, will forgive him: Gus Dur<\/p>\n
ROME (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid cooled the standoff
\nwith Gen. Wiranto on Sunday by saying he fully trusted his senior
\nminister who once saved his life from a planned assassination
\nattempt.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman further allayed any likely tension by saying that
\nhe would forgive the four-star general for any wrongdoing in the
\nEast Timor human rights issue.<\/p>\n
\"If Pak Wiranto is judged guilty by a court I will forgive
\nhim,\" the President said.<\/p>\n
It is unclear if Abdurrahman meant forgiveness in a personal
\nsense or in the form of a presidential pardon.<\/p>\n
Many have predicted a possible standoff between the President
\nand his coordinating minister for political affairs and security
\nafter Wiranto was named as one of those allegedly responsible for
\nthe violence in East Timor in the run-up and after the Aug. 30
\nballot.<\/p>\n
A government-sanctioned inquiry has called on the attorney
\ngeneral to conduct a formal investigation into the matter.<\/p>\n
Following the announcement of the report, Abdurrahman, who is
\naway on a 16-day overseas tour, called on Wiranto to resign.<\/p>\n
Wiranto brushed the calls aside and said he would wait until
\nhe personally talks to the President when he returns on Sunday.<\/p>\n
But Abdurrahman vouched for Wiranto's personal character on
\nthe last day of his two-day stay in the Italian capital and
\ninsisted that their personal relations remained intact despite
\nthe media contention.<\/p>\n
He even claimed that Wiranto saved his and Vice President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri's life from a planned assassination
\nattempt in the mid-1990s.<\/p>\n
\"I believe in Pak Wiranto. Why? Because I know him. It is
\nother people who know nothing about him and make generalizations
\nabout him,\" Abdurrahman said during a dialog with the Indonesian
\ncommunity in Italy at the official residence of Indonesia's
\nAmbassador to the Vatican Irawan Abidin.<\/p>\n
The President said Wiranto, as the commander of the Army
\nStrategic Reserves Command (Kostrad), was told by then Indonesian
\nArmed Forces (ABRI) chief Gen. Feisal Tanjung that there were
\ninstructions to eliminate Abdurrahman and Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"He (Wiranto) called me (about it),\" Abdurrahman said, adding
\nhe then asked Wiranto to directly check with then president
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said Wiranto then got back to him and quoted
\nSoeharto as saying \"I never gave such an instruction\".<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman then said he asked Wiranto to decide who was
\ntelling the truth.<\/p>\n
\"I believe Pak Harto,\" the President recounted.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman went on to say that people should thus not
\nconsider all Indonesian Military (TNI) soldiers as evil.<\/p>\n
Crooks<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman then revealed that Wiranto telephoned him several
\ndays ago to complain about the President's remarks about a
\npossible coup.<\/p>\n
\"Why does Gus Dur believe such rumors?\" the President quoted
\nthe general as telling him.<\/p>\n
Despite claiming there was a covert meeting between generals
\nlast week, Abdurrahman expressed confidence that the situation
\nwas well under control.<\/p>\n
\"There are two kinds of TNI, those who obey orders and those
\nwho are crooks,\" he remarked, adding that TNI chief Adm. Widodo
\nA.S. and Megawati were in constant contact with him.<\/p>\n
He added that Widodo called him on Saturday morning and again
\nstressed TNI's loyalty to the government.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman left Rome on Sunday evening and arrived in
\nBrussels two hours later.<\/p>\n
In Brussels, he is scheduled to meet with European Commission
\nPresident Romano Prodi and European Union secretary-general
\nJavier Solana on Monday morning.<\/p>\n
In the afternoon he will pay a courtesy call to Prince Philips
\nat the Cour de Brabant Palace.<\/p>\n
He will leave for New Delhi on Monday evening and will arrive
\non Tuesday morning. (prb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/i-trust-wiranto-will-forgive-him-gus-dur-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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