Indonesian Observer
September 5, 2000
Mandela sought release of Gusmao, arms sales to RI
JAKARTA (IO) - When Nelson Mandela visited Indonesia in 1997, the South
African leader not only pleaded for the release of East Timor rebel Xanana
Gusmao with then-President Soeharto but also discussed arms sales to the
Indonesian military.
Ironically, the type of South African arms offered - armed personnel
carriers (APCs) and light machine guns - were suitable for dealing with
the very same group he discreetly supported, at the time referred to as
East Timor rebels.
The Observer's Taufik Darusman reports from Pretoria, South Africa, over
the weekend:
President Nelson Mandela's short visit to Jakarta in 1997 was highlighted
by his penchant for donning batik shirts and his meeting with East Timor
rebel Xanana Gusmao - who was then serving a jail sentence for conducting
subversive activities - at the guest-house of Merdeka Palace.
However, an unpublicized item in Mandela's Jakarta agenda showed that he
was also concerned about his country's balance of payments, a problem
which he tried to address by offering South African weapons to the
Indonesian military.
"He offered Indonesia jet fighters, field military equipment such as armed
personnel carriers (APCs) and guns at very competitive prices," a source
who did not wish to be identified told the Observer in Pretoria late last
week. "At the same time, he was also seeking the release of Gusmao," he
added.
"The sales would have gone through were it not for the monetary crisis
that hit Indonesia at the end of 1997. The military was keen on buying
South African arms as they were quite state-of-the-art and quite cheap."
A source at the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria confirmed the arms sales
offer by Mandela, saying: "We were on the verge of exploring an arms
purchase from South Africa when the monetary crisis set in."
He added: "When the West imposed an arms embargo on South Africa during
the apartheid days, the country was forced to build an arms industry of
its own. With the help of Israel it grew and became a moderately
sophisticated industry. The country now sells high-tech military-version
helicopters to Middle East countries and Pakistan"
The US arms embargo on Indonesia, imposed by Washington over alleged human
rights violations by the Indonesian military, apparently left the
Indonesian military with no other option but to seek alternative sources
such as South Africa.
"South Africa produces Cheetah jet fighters, a Mirage 200 and MIG-29
hybrid. The products lack the power of brand recognition, but they are
modern nevertheless. We do not rule out the possibility of buying arms and
spare parts from South Africa if the Western military embargo on us
continues to remain in place."
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