Russia likely to offer weaponry to Indonesia

Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A Russian delegation will arrive in Jakarta next month to draft bilateral business agreements to be signed during the planned visit of President Megawati Soekarnoputri to Moscow in April, Russian Federation Ambassador to Indonesia Vladimir Y. Plotnikov said Friday.

Plotnikov said the delegation was part of an Indonesia-Russian commission to draft economic agreements. These could cover seven or eight deals, he said.

Megawati's visit to Moscow would be the first by an Indonesian president in 13 years.

"We want this (her visit) to work and we will spare no efforts or time in ensuring that," Plotnikov told reporters at his home.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty M. Natalegawa confirmed the delegation's planned visit but was unsure whether it was slated for this or next month.

Asked whether the upcoming discussion would involve the purchase of military hardware, Plotnikov said this was possible.

For three decades under President Soeharto, Indonesia relied on American military hardware. Most of the Russian weapons were acquired prior to the fall of the communist leaning government of Sukarno in 1966.

Indonesia eyed Russian products again after U.S. Congress began linking their military cooperation to human rights.

In 1997, the economic crisis forced Indonesia to drop a US$500 million deal to purchase 12 Sukhoi SU-30 jet fighters, and eight MI-17-IV helicopters from Russia.

Under the deal, Russia would have received various Indonesian export products of equal value. Signing the counter-purchase deal in Moscow were then Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) and the Russian Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rosvoorouzhenie.

Talks of reviving the deal continued to make rounds with Ambassador Plotnikov saying: "I heard there is still interest on the Indonesian side."

Still the plan looks unlikely now given the government's tight budget, although ambassador Plotnikov said that Russia was ready to be "very flexible" on the payment side.

Currently officials have been only window-shopping for military hardware in several East Europe countries last year.

During Megawati's trip to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina, she was exploring the purchase of arms from those countries.

One of the more possible agreements covered the construction of railways in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, Plotnikov added.

He said the commission would also look at drafting an agreement to encourage investment activities between the two countries.

Plotnikov said the bilateral economic potential between Russia and Indonesia were vast and yet scantly exploited.

"On the trade side we can do much more than we've done so far," said the ambassador.

Foreign ministry spokesman Marty could not elaborate on the details of the commission's work.

Outside the business agreements, Plotnikov said the two countries would issue a joint political statement, the drafting of which was pending developments on the international front.