Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Former chief of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto denied Thursday that he berated then president B.J. Habibie as he was about to be removed from his position, or that he planned a coup to overthrow the government.

In his memoirs of his time in office Detik-detik yang Menentukan (Crucial Seconds) launched last week, Habibie quoted Prabowo as telling him: "What kind of president are you? You're naive."

Habibie, who said Prabowo spoke to him in English, recounted a heated exchange between the two when he was about to replace Prabowo with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Johnny Lumintang in May 1998. He wrote that he turned down Prabowo's requests to be allowed to stay in command for three more months, and then three days, including when the officer used the name of his father, renowned economist Soemitro Djojohadikusumo and his father-in-law Soeharto.

"I have never uttered such embarrassing words towards Habibie," said the usually media-shy Prabowo, who has granted several print and TV interviews to counter the allegations. I'm very respectful of Habibie and he is a national figure. In fact, I obeyed the president's order to show I was a true soldier."

The energetic-looking 54-year-old said he was not considering suing Habibie, but would probably publish his own version of events. "In the meantime, I am still requesting time to meet Habibie for clarification and to end the controversy in a familial way."

Asked about the accusation that he was trying to launch a coup, Prabowo called the report groundless. "It was impossible for me to do that because all Kostrad personnel were put under full control of the former chief of the Jakarta Military, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsuddin," he said, asking journalists to seek clarification from Sjafrie, now secretary-general of the Defense Ministry.

Habibie told local media Wednesday he defended his decision to take over the Konstrad leadership from Prabowo after he received information from then commander of the Indonesian Military Gen. (ret.) Wiranto that thousands of armed soldiers from Kostrad and the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) were gathered at the National Monument (Monas) park and were ready to besiege the adjacent State Palace.

He added that the contents of the book were only a small part of the story, and the rest would be published in another book to serve as an important lesson for the next generation.

But Prabowo urged the public to understand the situation at the time. He argued the military reinforcements was at the order of the Indonesian Military commander following the rampage of rioting in Jakarta and other big cities in mid-May 1998.

"The people should bear in mind that certain foreign countries and international financial institutions played an important role in the economic crisis that hit Indonesia from 1997 and led to Soeharto's resignation," he said.

He added that he and other military officers were committed to safeguarding a smooth transition under Habibie's leadership into a true democracy. Prabowo was honorably discharged from military service at the recommendation of a Military Honor Council in September 1998 for his role in the abduction and torture of prodemocracy activists. He maintained that he "misread the orders" of his superiors.