U.S. agrees to help Indonesia with investigations<\/p>\n
By Budiman Moerdijat<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid after a meeting
\nwith U.S. President Bill Clinton here on Monday claimed that
\nWashington has agreed to assist Jakarta's investigations into
\nthe wealth of former top Indonesian officials, including former
\npresident Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman said Clinton had given him assurances during their
\nmeeting at the White House in Washington D.C. earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
\"Thank God there's a good response from the U.S. government
\nand he (Clinton) promised to give assistance through the U.S.
\nCenter for the Study of Corruption,\" Abdurrahman told journalists
\nheld shortly after his arrival in New York.<\/p>\n
\"I have met with representatives of the Center before in
\nJakarta and they will visit Jakarta again in the near future,\" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Attorney General's Office is currently
\nconducting an investigation into the alleged abuse of power by
\nSoeharto which reportedly opened the way to amass wealth through
\nvarious foundations by the issuance of various rulings.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman has said that the information obtained from the
\nresearch agency would be used as evidence in court.<\/p>\n
He reiterated, however, that if Soeharto is found guilty, then
\nhe would be pardoned by the government.<\/p>\n
\"The Soeharto family has so far been asking me one big
\nquestion and I told Clinton this afternoon that the question is
\nwhether there is a guarantee that Pak Harto will be treated well
\nif he returns his wealth to the state\".<\/p>\n
\"I say that if they do want a guarantee, even a written one if
\nnecessary, I will make it as soon as I return (to Jakarta),\" Gus
\nDur, as the President is popularly called, said.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman added that Soeharto would not even have to be
\npresent in the courtroom if the trial eventually takes place.<\/p>\n
\"It is not necessary for him (Soeharto) to be present in
\ncourt, he could be represented by his lawyers and if he is found
\nguilty, the government will pardon him and I think the majority
\nof the nation agree with this,\" Abdurrahman said.<\/p>\n
The President said that during the meeting Clinton also
\nexpressed his support for Indonesia's territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
\"He (Clinton) said there will be too many countries in the
\nworld if disputes within states are resolved through a
\ndeclaration of an independent state, army or flag,\" Abdurrahman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Nearing the end of his briefing, in an apparent move to remind
\nAbdurrahman to add something in his statement, Foreign Minister
\nAlwi Shihab was heard whispering to the President: \"He (Clinton)
\nsaid to you that (the U.S.) wants to see your administration
\nsuccessful.\"<\/p>\n
The President snapped back at Alwi, however, and said: \"Let it
\nbe, if we tell it to Indonesian journalists it would be useless.\"<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman on Tuesday is scheduled to have breakfast at his
\nhotel with former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He is
\nalso due to meet with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
\nlater in the day.<\/p>\n
The president is then scheduled to leave for Paris on Tuesday
\nevening.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile in Jakarta, Attorney General Marzuki Darusman on
\nTuesday brushed aside suggestions that his office's questioning
\nof Soeharto due to increasingly incoherrent answers by the former
\npresident.<\/p>\n
\"Don't worry, we will not drop the case because of it
\n(incoherent answers). We have gone this far ... we can't just
\nstop,\" Marzuki told journalists adding that the questioning was
\npart of the requirements needed to bring a case to court.<\/p>\n
\"We have to do the questionings, whatever the answers are,\" he
\nremarked. \"Everything is on the right track, and we will submit
\nthe case to court on July or August\".<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office has conducted seven questionings
\non Soeharto and has posed around 100 questions over the former
\npresident's foundations.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's lawyers on Monday again claimed that their client
\ncannot be account for all his answers because he was losing his
\nmemory after suffering a mild stroke last year.<\/p>\n
They said that Soeharto has failed to answer all questions
\nposed on him because he has forgotten most things about his
\nfoundations and even if he tries to, his answers were irrelevant
\nto the questions.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-agrees-to-help-indonesia-with-investigations-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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