Indonesia says military chief barred from US, seeks explanation

General Gatot Nurmantyo was due to attend a conference in Washington at the request of General Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the military said he was unable to board his Emirates flight in Jakarta on Saturday.

Military spokesman Brigjen Wuryanto said the general was refused entry by the US Customs and Border Protection agency. Nurmantyo has decided not to attend the conference until the situation is explained, Wuryanto said.

"Shortly before the departure the TNI (military) commander and his wife received a notification from the airline that they were not allowed to enter US territory," Wuryanto told a press conference.

The Indonesian embassy in Washington has sent a formal note to the State Department asking for clarification and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has sought an explanation from the embassy in Jakarta.

"The (US) ambassador is currently not in Jakarta so we have asked the deputy chief of mission in Jakarta to come into the ministry tomorrow for clarification," foreign affairs spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told AFP. The US embassy said in a statement it had been in touch with the general's staff about the matter throughout the weekend and working to facilitate his travel. It said US ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Marsudi for any inconvenience. "The US Embassy was, and remains, prepared to facilitate the General's travel to the United States," it said.

"We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples."