Today
Jakarta
- 30 °C
Other Publications
RI agrees to some defense cooperation with S'pore
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 04/26/2007 3:24 PM
Imanuddin Razak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As part of the recently completed bilateral meeting on defense and legal issues, the Indonesian government will only agree on conditional defense cooperation with Singapore, says a senior Indonesian defense ministry official.
""We (Indonesia and Singapore) have agreed that bilateral defense cooperation will be established under a five-yearly agreement,"" secretary-general of the Indonesian Ministry of Defense Lt. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told a media gathering at the Defense Ministry on Tuesday evening.
He was referring to one of the 17 articles in the defense treaty that will be signed by Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo and Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda, together with a treaty on extradition, in Bali this Friday.
Sjafrie said the defense treaty's requirement it be renewed every five years was an advancement in the country's defense diplomacy as previously such treaty had never included a deadline for the agreement.
He declined to elaborate further on the overall articles in the planned treaty, saying that they would officially be announced when treaty is signed tomorrow.
Sjafrie, however, said that the signing of the defense treaty would not jeopardize the sovereignty of Indonesian territory.
""Singapore has to secure Indonesia's approval if it wants to conduct military exercises within Indonesian territory,"" the three-star general said.
""Similar approval is also needed if Singapore would like to invite a third country to participate in the military exercise.""
Meanwhile, Singapore's defense minister Teo Chee Hean has hinted that the treaty would also include an article that regulates the resumption of joint military training between the two countries.
""It means that we'll be able to resume training and also to expand and broaden that training,"" the minister was quoted as saying in the Wednesday edition of The Straits Times.
Hassan Wirayuda said Tuesday that the extradition treaty with Singapore would help bring to justice Indonesian officials and business figures accused of corruption, who are reportedly taking refuge in Singapore.
Singapore has denied allegations that it has been used by Indonesian criminals to launder money, and has insisted it has proper safeguards.
The city-state's founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, was quoted by the Times as saying that he was not worried that wealthy Indonesians would pull their money out of the banking system or property market following the deal.
""Please remember the financial sector was not built up on Indonesian money,"" said Lee, who holds the influential cabinet position of minister mentor.
""Indonesian money is no more than two to three percent.""
The media have speculated that the extradition treaty and defense agreement came after a period of strained relations between the two nations over a recently imposed ban by Jakarta on the export of sand used to make concrete in Singapore, a move that is hurting the island state's booming construction industry.
