Paris – Jakarta secured a pledge of $5.9 billion in foreign aid on Wednesday, despite demands from human rights groups that cash be held off pending a vote on self rule for the East Timor territory which Indonesia invaded in 1975.

The aid, to shore up Indonesia 's 1999 budget and bolster the government's efforts to pull the economy out of recession, was announced by the World Bank after a meeting with around 30 donor countries at the World Bank's Paris office.

"Indonesia 's donors delivered a strong message today with a pledge of $5.9 billion in foreign assistance for the Indonesian fiscal year 1999/00, in support of Indonesia 's staying the course of economic reform, continuing to protect the poor, and stepping up the fight against corruption," the World Bank said in a statement.

The World Bank, which hosted the meeting here, had called on both the Indonesian government and donors to "stay the course" on political and economic reform underway since the fall of strongarm president Suharto last year.

The outcome followed talks at which Indonesia 's top economics minister, Ginandjar Kartasasmita, promised the government would forge ahead unflinchingly with deep-rooted political and economic reforms.

Jakarta had been told during the talks that it could count on continued financial support as long as it continued to root out corruption, overhaul its banking and corporate system and work on democracy following June's parliamentary election.