Indonesia to buy Czech defense equipment
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived in Prague, the Czech Republic, on Monday for a three-day state visit, during which she would likely sign an agreement to purchase a wide range of defense equipment from the country.
After her arrival, Megawati met with Czech Prime Minister Milos Zeman at the Indonesian guesthouse in Prague, where Czech military equipment was on display, Antara reported Monday.
Maj. Gen. Sudrajat, director general for strategic defense at the ministry of defense, said that Indonesia was exploring the possibility of buying military equipment from the Czech Republic.
"We are considering possible cooperation in defense industries with the Czech Republic," Sudrajat was quoted by Antara as saying in Prague.
The Czech Republic, aware of Indonesia's dire need for military equipment, had offered various defense products to compensate for the lack of equipment due to a limited embargo by the United States.
The offer was made by Czech Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign and Security Policy/Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Kavan during his visit to Indonesia in February.
On Tuesday, Megawati will receive a state welcome from Czech President Vaclav Havel at his palace in Prague. The two leaders are scheduled to brief the media after their talks to be attended by Indonesian delegation members and senior Czech officials.
Megawati also urged Indonesians living in the Czech Republic to return home.
"Please go home if you want to," she said, but added that Indonesians willing to return home must follow required procedures. She did not elaborate.
Many Indonesians were forced to flee to other countries, including then Czechoslovakia, when the Soeharto government accused them of involvement in the attempted coup which has been blamed on the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965.
Megawati will leave for Bratislava, Slovakia on Wednesday as part of her two-week European trip.
Earlier on Sunday, Megawati met with her Austrian counterpart Thomas Klestil during a private visit to Vienna.
The Austrian President's office was quoted by DPA as saying their talks centered on the present talks revolved around the enlargement of the European Union to the East, approaches of Russia to the E.U., and the situation in Central and Southeast Europe.
Megawati, accompanied on her visit by her husband Taufik Kiemas and her daughter, also raised the issues of the Middle East, and Indonesia's role as the world's biggest Muslim state.
After their talks, Megawati and Klestil attended a performance at the Vienna State Opera.