House agrees to appoint gen Djoko Santoso as TNI chief

akarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR) at a plenary
session here Friday endorsed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s
proposal to appoint Army Chief of Staff Gen Djoko Santoso as National
Defense Forces (TNI) commander to succeed Air Marshal Djoko Suyanto.

The plenary session led by House Speaker Agung Laksono proceeded
smoothly and assured Gen Santoso an equally smooth term in the TNI`s
top post.

The president had proposed Gen Djoko Santoso for the post in a letter
to the House last November 26. On December 5, the House`s Commission I
(foreign and defense affairs) conducted a fit-and-proper test on Djoko
Santoso and considered him to have passed the test in the evening of
the same day.

The House Commission I`s internal plenary meeting on December 5 was led
by its chairman, Theo L Sambuaga, and attended by all his deputies and
representatives of all party factions in the House.(*) END