The Indonesian president, Abdurrahman Wahid, has publicly praised the former military chief, General Wiranto, whom he said he trusted not to stage a military coup.

Mr Wahid told a gathering of Indonesians living in Rome that the general -- who is now a minister in charge of security -- had saved his life in the mid-1990s by warning him of a plan to assassinate him and his then opposition colleague, Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Mr Wahid's comments come a week after he demanded General Wiranto's resignation over a government report blaming the general for atrocities in east Timor.

The general has denied any wrongdoing and has ignored the president's calls for him to step down.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service