Britain okays fighters sale to RI

Britain okays fighters sale to RI

LONDON (Reuter): The British government said on Tuesday it had approved the sale of fighter aircraft to Indonesia after concluding they would probably not be used against opponents of the Indonesian government.

Trade minister Anthony Nelson said he had authorized the issue of licenses to British Aerospace Plc for a contract it signed in 1993 to sell 24 Hawk trainers and ground-attack fighters worth about 500 million pounds ($770 million).

Nelson said in a written parliamentary answer that he had given the go-ahead following consultations with the ministry of defense and the foreign office.

The sale of the fighters, he said, was in line with established, internationally agreed criteria for arms exports.

"In accordance with government policy, a thorough assessment of the likelihood of these aircraft being used for internal repression in Indonesia or East Timor has been undertaken. This assessment has concluded that it is not likely that these aircraft will so be used.

"In addition the Indonesian government has given assurances that these aircraft will not be used for internal security or against civilians in any part of Indonesia or East Timor," Nelson said.

A senior Indonesian air force officer said earlier this year that 16 of the fighters would be stationed at Pekanbaru, capital of Riau province in eastern Sumatra, to strengthen air defenses in an arc from northern Sumatra across to central Java.

Nelson said he was making an exception to the government's rule not to disclose details of export licenses because the public interest in this case outweighed the need for confidentiality.

Human rights groups have fiercely criticized Britain for its arms sales to Jakarta, arguing that the government would use the weapons to keep order in Indonesia itself and in the troubled former Portuguese colony of East Timor.