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Still no explanation why Gatot denied entry to US: Foreign Minister
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Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaks at the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 19, 2017. (Courtesy of the Foreign Ministry/file)
I
ndonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi met with Erin Elizabeth McKee, deputy chief of mission with the US Embassy in Jakarta, this morning to seek clarification over Saturday’s incident in which Indonesia’s military chief was barred from entering the US, even though he had been invited by a top US military official.
The US diplomat, she said, claimed to have resolved the issue and that the travel restriction on Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo had been lifted. However, no explanation was given during the meeting about why the embarrassing incident happened.
"They said it was still Sunday night in Washington but I told her the Indonesian government urgently needed to receive clarification," the minister said at the State Palace on Monday.
Gatot and his wife were about to fly to the US to attend a conference under the invitation of chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford in Washington, DC.
The military general was scheduled to depart on Saturday at 5 p.m. on Emirates flight number EK 0357, but just before taking off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, he was informed that he would not be able to enter the US.
During the meeting on Monday, the US embassy confirmed that Gatot's departure was to accept an invitation from chairman Gen. Dunford and reiterated their regret over the incident, Retno said. (ahw)
