Australia's Defence Minister Marise Payne speaks to the media in Sydney, yesterday.
Sydney: Australia yesterday rejected claims it tried to "recruit" Indonesia's best soldiers as Jakarta moved to tone down a rift after military ties were suspended.
Indonesia's military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo said it involved "unethical stuff" which "discredits Indonesia and its military, even the nation's ideology".
"It's about soldiers in the past, East Timor, Papuan independence and 'Pancasila'," he said, referring to the nation's founding philosophy.
"Every time there is a training programme -- like recently -- the best five or 10 students would be sent to Australia. That happened before I was chief so I let that happen".
"Once I became chief commander of the national forces, it (the students being sent) did not happen again. They will certainly be recruited."
Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne denied Canberra had targeted Indonesian soldiers to be potential agents.
"No, that is not the case and it is something which we would not countenance of course".
She added that an investigation into teaching materials that sparked the spat was almost complete and the government took the concerns seriously.
