JAKARTA - INDONESIA will press on with efforts to conclude a Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with Singapore despite a recent barrage of objections here.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda was quoted by local media yesterday as saying that he was under orders from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to keeping negotiations going, despite objections raised by various politicians and opinion leaders.

Dr Hassan was also reported in both the Indo Pos and Media Indonesia as saying that his officials were in touch with their Singapore counterparts to determine an appropriate time to resume talks.

The DCA and an extradition treaty were signed as a package in April between the two countries, but both have yet to be ratified.

Three Implementing Arrangements (IAs) related to the defence pact that were supposed to have been signed by the two countries on May 7 have also been held up.

The pact has been under fire in Indonesia as it is said to threaten the country's sovereignty by allowing foreign troops on its soil.

Last month, a key Indonesian parliamentary commission rejected the DCA even before it was submitted for ratification.

In the latest salvo, Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono this week accused Singapore of trying to undermine negotiations on the DCA in order to avoid having to implement the extradition treaty.

At a lecture to civil servants on Tuesday, Dr Juwono specifically accused Singapore of seeking 15 days a month for military exercises in the Bravo training area, far exceeding what was agreeable to Jakarta.

In response to media queries, a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) yesterday rejected Dr Juwono's accusations.

The spokesman said it was not true that Singapore was stalling on the DCA by making new demands on the outstanding IAs to be signed.

Rather, it was Indonesia which had asked for last-minute changes that Singapore could not agree to.

Singapore's position is that the pacts are already settled and the terms cannot be altered without putting the whole package in jeopardy.

Said an MFA spokesman yesterday: 'Minister Juwono should be fully aware of the contents of the DCA, which he signed, and the four Implementing Arrangements (IAs) which were agreed to on April 23 in Singapore.

'Contrary to what he is reported to have said, Singapore has made no new requests of Indonesia. Rather, it is Indonesia which refused on May 7 to sign the IAs which had been agreed on April 23, and asked for substantive changes to the documents.

'This is the crux of the matter. Indonesia had repeatedly assured Singapore that it would not depart from what was agreed upon.

'With that assurance, and in the spirit of friendship and cooperation, Singapore had made a proposal to Indonesia on how to move the process forward. We are still waiting for Indonesia's reply.'

azhar@sph.com.sg