The head of the Indonesian army says that the situation caused by the refusal of former armed forces chief, General Wiranto, to resign from government is becoming "dangerous and uncertain".

General Tyasno Sudarto said he guaranteed that the army, as an institution, would not launch a coup, but he could not supervise his officers individually.

Earlier the Indonesian Defence Minister, Yuwono Sudarsono, appealed for calm and an end to speculation about General Wiranto's future after he was implicated in last year's atrocities in East Timor.

Mr Sudarsono said on Friday that he had passed the general a message from President Abdurrahman Wahid - who is on a tour of European capitals - instructing him to resign from his cabinet post.

Staying put

However, the defence minister added: "There was no response from [General Wiranto] ... we have agreed to wait for Mr President." President Wahid does not return to Jakarta until 13 February.

The Indonesian leader this week insisted that General Wiranto - currently co-ordinating minister for political and security affairs - step down following the release of a report linking him with last year's violence in East Timor when the territory was still under Indonesian control.

Despite growing pressure, General Wiranto has refused to step down and has continued to attend cabinet meetings and turned up for work in his office.

The former armed forces chief has also strongly defended his role in protecting and helping arrange the referendum in East Timor last year in which the population voted for independence from Indonesia.

Coup fears

The resignation call and the resulting stand-off has shaken Indonesia, sparking fears that it could trigger a military coup and bring down President Wahid - the country's first democratically-elected president.

The Indonesian leader on Thursday warned his army generals against trying to mount a coup in his absence.

He added to the speculation over a possible military coup by saying that he had heard that a number of generals had held a meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday night.

Although military officials have confirmed it took place, they said it was a regular meeting.