National

Sudarsono Confirms Offer of a Grant for F-5 Aircraft from Jordan
Saturday, 10 December, 2005 | 14:56 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono confirmed that Jordan offered a grant of old F-5 fighter planes. “ Jordan did offer that donation to us,” Sudarsono said at his office on Friday (09/12).

The plan of the grant caused a problem on Thursday night (08/12). After meeting Jordan Military Chief Gen. Khalid Jamil Sarayreh at his office, Sudarsono told reporters on Thursday afternoon of the donation.

The news appeared on internet websites, including Tempo Interactive. A television station even reported this on the news wires. The problem occurred on Thursday night (08/12) when General Khalid met with Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Sutarto at Wisma Yani, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat.

At the meeting, an officer said, Gen. Khalid objected to Sudarsono’s decision to release this news to reporters by reason that Jordan was yet to ask for permission from the USA, the country manufacturing the F-5 aircraft and a close ally of Jordan, to move their used planes to Indonesia. He also requested that the news not be released first.

Not long after the meeting, the Indonesian Military (TNI) Information Center requested the mass media to withhold the report on Jordan’s donation of the aircraft. “This is because this plan is still being discussed,” said the head of the information center Maj. Gen. Kohirin Suganda Saputra through an SMS.

At the same time, the Indonesian defense department issued a release on the identical case.

Sudarsono said that on Thursday night (08/12), Gen. Khalid had requested the postponement of the grant. (Fanny Febiana/Budi S-Tempo News Room)