The Indonesian Air Force will not polarize the interests in arms buying, including jetfighters, from either western countries or Russia, the chief of staff said Monday.

"The Indonesian Air Force will not choose one of the two alternatives. Instead, the two will help enable the effective and optimized functions of the air force," Air Marshall Djoko Soeyanto was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying.

Indonesia has purchased four Russia-made Sukhoi jetfighters since the United States, its largest arms supplier, restricted military ties with Indonesia over alleged rights abuses in East Timor in 1999.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has announced a plan to visit Russia this year for the purchase of eight more Sukhois to establish a squadron.

Djoko, the president's lone candidate for the Armed Forces commander, applauded a recent move by the United States to lift the embargo.

"But we must realize that the policy doesn't necessarily mean we can immediately acquire new planes for operations," the chief of staff said during a visit to the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar.

Source: Xinhua