Army Chief: Security comes before politics and economy

BANDUNG (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto asserted here on Monday that the Army is committed to solving security matters but asked other parties to seek the root of the problems plaguing the nation.

Endriartono deemed security fears over the past year were the result of political and economic problems.

"In order to solve the security problem, we have to cope with the political and economy matters first. I urged the political elite to stop bickering among themselves," Endriartono said on the sideline of a ceremony which marked the start of an Army training program at the Infantry Training Center in Cipatat district.

Endriartono was responding to a statement by President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who said his government was expecting security concerns to mount in 2001.

Gus Dur described four groups wishing to topple him, namely those afraid to lose power, those trying to evade trial, those linked to the past regime, and Muslim hard-liners.

The Army, Endriartono said, was prepared to defuse the security threats because it did not want a repeat of the May 1998 riots.

Riots, arson attacks and looting swept the capital and its neighboring towns then, precipitating the resignation of long- time ruler Soeharto.

Endriartono said the Army would be able to shoulder the challenge although there were allegations that some of its members were involved in the Christmas eve bombings.

"I cannot deny it (the involvement) because a military officer is just a human who could be persuaded to get involved," he said.

He promised to uphold the law and strengthen military discipline, instead of protecting Army personnel who have been proven to be involved in the bombings which killed 19 people.

Endriartono also admitted that there was a splinter group in the Indonesian Military (TNI) who is keeping up the pressure on the government through the groups identified by the President as the menaces to his administration.

Endriartono also expressed his concern over the continuing separatist movement in Aceh and Irian Jaya, accusing the rebels of seeking their own interests above the nation's.

"During this multidimensional crises, we should support each other. But there are some people who have the heart to take advantage of the crisis, regardless of the possibility that their actions might destroy this nation," Endriartono said.

Meanwhile, the United States Embassy denied reports which linked the country's intelligence agency CIA to four allegedly Afghanistan-trained Indonesians accused of assembling bombs that exploded on the Christmas eve.

"This (the report) is not true, since the U.S. did not provide training in Afghanistan...If this unconfirmed report is allowed to stand, it could be dangerous and harmful to U.S.-Indonesian relations," a spokesperson for the embassy said in a statement.

The spokesperson added the U.S. had never conducted training in Afghanistan, but Pakistan.

"The U.S. trained people to become soldiers. The U.S. did not provide training in making car bombs." (02)