Indonesia to buy Czech defense equipment

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.