Arrest warrant for Jakarta general

Gen Wiranto is running as a presidential candidate in Indonesia

A UN-backed tribunal in East Timor has issued an arrest warrant for one of Indonesia's main presidential candidates, General Wiranto.

The former military chief has been accused of human rights abuses after East Timor's vote for independence from Jakarta in 1999.

Around 1,000 people died during the violence, with many deaths blamed on militias linked to the Indonesian army.

General Wiranto was formally indicted for war crimes in February 2003.

The indictment against him states that as head of the armed forces during the campaign, he was ultimately responsible for killings "committed in the context of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population in East Timor."

Prosecutor Nicholas Koumjian said on Monday that the issuance of an arrest warrant against the retired general was "an important step in our continuing efforts to bring to justice those responsible for the violence".

WIRANTO CHARGES Indicted by prosecutors in East Timor over 1999 violence But Indonesia highly unlikely to hand him over to face trial Few Indonesians believe the allegations against him Wiranto denies any wrongdoing Profile: General Wiranto

The warrant will now be lodged with Interpol, meaning in effect that General Wiranto could be arrested if he leaves Indonesia.

As our correspondent in Jakarta, Rachel Harvey, points out, that clearly presents a potential problem for a man who is running for president.

Despite the allegations against him, General Wiranto remains popular in Indonesia, and only last month he was chosen as the presidential candidate for the Golkar Party ahead of July's elections.

The general's lawyer told the BBC he thought the timing of the arrest warrant was politically motivated.

"This is a cheap trick," he said. "They're trying to take advantage of the political situation in our country."

So far polls suggest General Wiranto is running third in the race for president.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, from the little-known Democrat Party, is the front-runner, followed by current incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri.