Lord says F-16 sale still on
Lord says F-16 sale still on
JAKARTA (JP): U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Winston Lord said yesterday that Washington would proceed with the sale of nine F-16 fighter jets to Indonesia.
"The administration has made it clear that we intend to go ahead with that sale, as early as January," Lord told journalists yesterday at the conclusion of a whirlwind visit to Jakarta.
"We believe that Indonesia has legitimate self-defense needs. However, we do feel that it would be useful to have further consultations with Congress," he said.
The sale has been delayed because of concerns in the U.S. administration and Congress on the Indonesian government's crackdown against its opponents in the aftermath of the bloody riots in Jakarta on July 27.
Indonesian officials say they are not bothered by the postponement because the F-16s are not a priority and that it was Washington who first offered to sell the planes.
Lord said he met Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, Attorney General Singgih, leaders of the National Commission on Human Rights and other public figures, to obtain a firsthand account of the political scene in Indonesia, including recent events and human rights.
Lord said Singgih invited him to visit activist Budiman Sudjatmiko and labor leader Muchtar Pakpahan in their cells.
The two men are being interrogated on charges of subversion in connection with the riot.
"There was not much time to spend with either individual," Lord said. "It was mostly a matter of entering into where they are now residing, shaking hands and leaving. I was glad to have the opportunity to do that and it symbolizes our interest in recent events." He did not comment on their conditions.
Washington "has expressed its interest and its concern about recent developments, including the proper legal process, accounting for the missing, the rule of law, the treatment of those detained, peaceful assembly and freedom of expression," he told reporters at the U.S. embassy.
"I've come away with a better understanding of all points of view here and I would like to reflect on what I've heard," he said. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to pass instant judgments."
He said he would take his new information to the American public and the U.S. Congress next week.
"I go away with a better understanding of all points of view in Indonesia, " he said, but declined to elaborate.
He said he visited the National Commission on Human Rights to find out exactly what had happened in the July riots.
He commended the commission's work, particularly its investigation of the riots.
The commission's provisional report on the riots said that five people died and 74 went missing. The government said four people died, but has not referred to anyone missing. President Soeharto has asked the commission to release its evidence on those missing.
Lord met the deputy chairman of the commission, Marzuki Darusman, and commission members Charles Himawan, A.A. Baramuli, Soegiri and Asmara Nababan.
The Attorney General's spokesman, Pontas Pasaribu, said that Singgih informed Lord on the investigations of Budiman and Muchtar.
The two men are in the custody of the Attorney General's Office rather than the police because they are charged with subversion, Pontas quoted Singgih as telling Lord.
Pontas said the attorney general had explained the rationale for using the 1963 Anti-Subversion Law, stating that it was still a "positive" law and therefore applicable.
Singgih said the detentions and interrogations complied with Criminal Code Procedures, Pontas said.
The government, under the 1963 Anti-Subversion Law, can detain suspects for up to one year without trial. "We are scheduled to finish the investigation (of Budiman and Muchtar) in three months," Pontas said.
Lord arrived here Thursday night after attending a two-day meeting between the U.S. and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Batam. He will leave for Singapore today. (16/14)