Megawati takes home pledges of arms ties
Megawati takes home pledges of arms ties
Agencies, Warsaw
President Megawati Soekarnoputri prepared on Friday to return home from a week-long visit to Russia and Poland, laden with promises of military cooperation and prospective arms deals.
In a sign of the military theme of her European visit, Megawati spent her last day in Europe before flying back attending a presentation of Polish military equipment at a Warsaw airfield.
She applauded Polish plane and helicopter displays, mounted a low surveillance radar system, tugged at soldiers' protective clothing for texture and weighed a P-99 pistol in her palm, often asking "how does it work" along the way.
Polish Deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke, at her side during the visit, said she had been well-prepared and asked many questions, raising the prospect of arms deals he set at tens of millions of dollars.
"Poland is not on the Indonesian market and it will start to sell arms to Indonesia," he told reporters after Megawati left.
The display of military hardware came hot on the heels of a promise on Thursday of extensive cooperation in the military and arms field from Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski.
Zemke was quoted by the PAP news agency as saying that several Polish companies were negotiating contracts on the sale of Skytruck planes and radar systems, which may be concluded as early as in May or June. Also offered to Megawati were Poland- made Sokol helicopters.
He said that in a bid to support arms exports, the Polish government will offer credits on arms sales to the Southeast Asian country.
A source said the credit could reach $135 million credit.
During Megawati's visit to Poland Warsaw and Jakarta also signed several cooperation accords in the areas of education, science, culture and tourism.
There was a similar theme during a preceding five-day visit to Russia where Megawati signed an arms agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Megawati sealed on Wednesday the purchase of four Russian-made Sukhoi fighter planes worth between $100 million and $120 million each.
The Indonesian leader's visit to Russia and Poland came at a time when relations with the United States are chilled over the war in Iraq, and while Indonesia is still subject to a four-year- old U.S. arms embargo.
Washington imposed the arms embargo in 1999, following the military's failure to stem violence in East Timor.
In Russia she called for a new beginning in relations with Russia on Tuesday, vowing to boost trade that amounted to just $170 million (156 million euros) last year.