by Florian Gathmann and Matthias Gebauer
Berlin has sought to play down reports this week that Indonesia is interested in buying German combat tanks. But during Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Jakarta on Tuesday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spoke openly of his desire to purchase German-made Leopard 2 models.
In recent months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has been criticized for its interest in exporting hundreds of tanks to Saudi Arabia, a country that helped put down a protest movement in neighboring Bahrain during the Arab Spring. On Tuesday, Merkel also found herself in a tight spot after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono indirectly suggested his country had also requested tanks from Germany.
This week, the Jakarta Post reported that the Indonesian government wants to purchase 100 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, including 15 used tanks from the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, in a prestige deal worth around €220 million. The tanks are manufactured by Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.
On Tuesday, Yudhoyono did not deny reports of the possible purchase, saying that anything his country could not make itself would have to be purchased from friendly nations, including Germany.
Yudhoyono said Indonesia needed to modernize its weapons systems, but that those efforts would be "transparent." Seeking to address human rights concerns, he added, "I will never use tanks to shoot my own people." The president also announced a "Jakarta Statement" between the two countries that would include deeper cooperation on defense issues.
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