Gen. Tyasno confirms replacement

Gen. Tyasno confirms replacement

JAKARTA (JP): Army Chief of Staff Gen. Tyasno Sudarto
confirmed on Sunday that he would be replaced by his deputy, Lt.
Gen. Endriartono Sutarto.

Speaking to journalists in Surakarta, Central Java, Tyasno
said he had been personally informed by President Abdurrahman
Wahid.

"I was summoned by Bapak President on Saturday morning and
told about the replacement," Tyasno said.

"I will await for orders on my next post, for now I will be a
senior officer at TNI headquarters in Cilangkap (Jakarta)," he
added.

Tyasno believes that Endriartono is a natural choice to
replace him.

"In the hierarchical structure of the Army he is number two
after the chief of staff, even though there are senior officers
like the chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command
(Kostrad)," he said as quoted by Antara from Surakarta, while
adding that Endriartono had been slotted as a "cadre" for the
post.

Nevertheless he would not confirm if that hierarchical
structure would now be the basis of future appointments.

In the past, the top post in the Army has not been filled from
a particular hierarchical structure.

For example Gen. (ret.) Wiranto when he was appointed Army
chief in 1997 held the post of Kostrad chief, while Gen. (ret.)
Hartono was Armed Forces Social and Political Affairs chief when
he became Army chief in 1995.

Speaking of his hopes for his successor, Tyasno said
Endriartono should continue to strengthen the internal
consolidation of the Army and correct mistakes committed in the
past.

An official announcement on the replacement is expected
Monday. (mds)