Wahid warns generals to fall in line

THE HAGUE, FEB. 3. Speaking from The Netherlands today, the Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, warned his country's restless armed forces not to cause him any trouble.

He was responding to the refusal by the former armed forces chief, Gen. Wiranto, to resign from his Cabinet post as Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Affairs. Mr. Wahid had called for the resignation after a human-rights inquiry blamed Gen. Wiranto for brutality and killings in East Timor.

Mr. Wahid said he understood there had been a meeting of the generals in Jakarta yesterday.

``We have made it clear to them that they had better be careful. We have the situation under control,'' he said after a meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Wim Kok, to discuss a major Dutch aid programme to advance Indonesia's reforms.

A former Dutch Prime Minister, Mr. Ruud Lubbers, rejected overnight Mr. Wahid's appeal to act as a mediator between Christians and Muslims in the Spice Islands. Mr. Lubbers said he did not see how he could help because there were no clearly defined opposing sides in the disorder.

Pressure on Wiranto

In Jakarta, leading Indonesian lawmakers today pressed Gen. Wiranto to quit for the good of the country and its fledgling democracy.

The Parliamentary Dy. Speaker, Mr. Muhaimin Iskandar, said Gen. Wiranto must follow the President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid's order and give up his ministerial job after an inquiry linked him to abuses in East Timor, in the ``spirit of patriotism''.

``The willingness of Gen. Wiranto to step down would be a great contribution towards an effort to build fair and civilised legal processes,'' Mr. Iskandar, secretary-general of Mr. Wahid's Nation Awakening Party, told reporters at a news conference by several legislators. Gen. Wiranto himself has disappeared from public view, leaving the country guessing whether he will bow out gracefully or fight to keep his post.

But political analysts - and the military itself - dismissed fears troops might mount a coup against Mr. Wahid. ``It's fantastic to even contemplate such a possibility,''' said retired general and leading political analyst, Mr. Hasnan Habib.

Mr. Wiranto has made no public comment since a Cabinet meeting yesterday where he refused to step down. A palace official today said no resignation had been received.

Gen. Wiranto, who says he did nothing wrong in East Timor, insisted he won't step down from the Cabinet without a direct order from the President.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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