The former military chief of Indonesia, General Wiranto, has said that he will not accept personal or legal responsibility for any crimes committed by his troops in East Timor.

Mr Wiranto told the Singaporean Straits Times that he was proud of his record, and would not resign his cabinet post because that might be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

The Straits Times said, however, that the general had left open the possibility that he might resign if the Indonesian president demanded it on his return from overseas.

Last week President Abdurrahman Wahid called for Mr Wiranto's resignation after a government report blaming him for atrocities in East Timor.

Indonesia's human rights commission recommended that he and five other senior generals be prosecuted for their involvement in the violence that followed last year's referendum on independence, in which at least 250 people died.

A report by a UN-appointed commission of inquiry has also blamed Indonesia's top military command for ordering attacks in East Timor.

The UN called for an international tribunal of judges who could try and sentence those charged with atrocities.

Pardon promise

But the president has said that he intends to pardon Mr Wiranto even if he is found guilty of human rights abuses.

General Wiranto told the Straits Times: "I have never committed any kind of unlawful activity, and I am proud of my record.

"If a person resigns from office, it can be interpreted as an admission of guilt, and an admission of wrongdoing."

The general has so far refused three calls by the president to resign.

General Wiranto's refusal to stand down also prompted fears of a possible military coup against President Wahid during his trip abroad.

But on Monday the president, who was in Brussels as part of a European tour, said he did not believe the general had been planning to take control of the country.

He said: "He protected me when I was persecuted by the last government. I know him. I know he would not do such a thing."

The president also confirmed that he had no intention of seeing the general imprisoned.

He said: "I will pardon him. For the past several years we have been good friends, despite whatever he has done in the past.