TNI Chief: TNI Will Not Buy Czech Weapons This Year
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27 August 2003 09:00 WIB
TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Indonesian Military headquarters (TNI HQ) will not buy weapons from the Czech Republic this year. “One thing for sure, we have made plans for this year’s budget. So, it’s impossible for us to buy,” TNI Chief General Endriartono Sutarto told journalists at a press conference held at the TNI HQ in Cilangkap, East Jakarta on Wednesday (19/6). Endriartono made this statement in regard to a plan to buy military planes and weapons from Czech as been that was mentioned by a TNI official who accompanied the visit of Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri to Czech on Tuesday (18/6). Megawati herself was reportedly discussing the purchase of military weapons in her meeting with Czech President Vaclav Havel. Endriartono declined to speculate on the content of the president’s meeting with Czech President. “I don’t know about the President’s meeting with the Czech President. We also don’t know whether or not Czech products will suit the TNI needs,” he said. Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said that he’s yet to find out about the plan to purchase military planes and other weapons from the Czech Republic. He made this statement to journalists at the Ministry of Defense in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon (19/6). (Sam Cahyadi/Mulyono-Tempo News Room)