U.S. Embassy rejects Mahfud's charges

U.S. Embassy rejects Mahfud's charges

JAKARTA (JP): The United States on Tuesday refuted a statement
by Indonesian defense minister Mahfud MD that Washington was
maintaining its ban on the supply to Indonesia of spare parts for
Hercules C-130 aircraft.

The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta in a statement said Mahfud's
allegations were simply "not true."

"In response to the request of the Indonesian Air Force chief
Marshall Hanafie Asnan last year, the U.S. government lifted
restrictions on the export of C-130 parts to Indonesia," the
embassy said in a statement.

"During his visit to Jakarta last September, then U.S.
Secretary of Defense William Cohen personally informed President
(Abdurrahman) Wahid and Minister Mahfud that he was working to
lift the restriction on the sale of C-130 parts to Indonesia."

The statement then added that on Sept. 22, U.S. Ambassador
Robert Gelbard notified Hanafie and Mahfud that Washington "had
approved the export of these parts to Indonesia."

Mahfud on Monday claimed that the embargo had hampered the
ability of the Indonesian Military (TNI) to quell the recent
bloody ethnic pogrom in Central Kalimantan.

Mahfud said the military found it difficult to reach the
affected area in Sampit due to "insufficient transportation."

He claimed that the U.S.'s policy had prevented 24 Indonesia
C-130 transport planes from being repaired, thus delaying the
military's response to the unrest.

Washington imposed a military embargo on Indonesia in 1999
following the violence that swept the former province of East
Timor. However, the ban has slowly been eased, particularly
concerning non-lethal military equipment.

The U.S. Embassy in its statement said that Washington
"currently places no restrictions on the commercial sale of C-130
parts to Indonesia."

It pointed out that as part of standard procedure the U.S.
State Department issued licenses for such sales.

"In response to the Indonesian Air Force's request to purchase
C-130 spare parts, six U.S. companies have already applied for
export licenses. Four companies have received approval."

Separately, Mahfud after a meeting with the President said
Indonesia would go ahead with its plan to purchase C-130 parts
from Jordan.

Mahfud conceded that the U.S. had now lifted its ban on C-130
parts, but maintained that the negotiations with Jordan had begun
when the restrictions were still in place and that Indonesia
would go ahead with its plan to acquire spare parts from that
country.

The purchase would be carried out through a private company,
which Mahfud refused to name. (mds)