Jakarta – Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Thursday warned President Abdurrahman Wahid that declaring a state of emergency, as he has threatened, would be unconstitutional.

And the military, which would be required to maintain security during a state of emergency, said it would not support the president if he issued the controversial decree. "Madam Mega said it [a state of emergency] is not in accordance with the present situation ... and it is not in accordance with the constitution," former army general Syaiful Sulun said.

Sulun was speaking to journalists after meeting with Megawati and other members of an association of retired soldiers and police. He said his association too believed that declaring a state of emergency would only "aggravate the problems" in the country.

The isolated Wahid, who is facing impeachment, said in Sydney during a landmark visit to Australia Wednesday he was prepared to declare a state of emergency and call in the military to save his rule. A state of emergency would allow Wahid to dissolve parliament before the upper house could convene a special session on August 1, which could impeach him if it rejects an account of his rule, and call early elections.

Two senior military officers were quoted by the Media Indonesia daily Thursday as warning Wahid against declare a state of emergency. "The TNI [military] stand is clear. We will not support such a decree because it will threaten the country's unity," the armed forces' chief of territorial affairs, Lieutenant General Agus Wijoyo, said.

Army spokesman Brigadier General Fransiscus Xaverius Bachtiar echoed Wijoyo. "The TNI appeals to the president not to declare an emergency because the TNI will not support it," Bachtiar was quoted as saying.

Wahid's new security minister, Agum Gumelar, on Wednesday was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying that he was trying hard to persuade Wahid not to take any such action. Wahid also said in Sydney that the military was in chaos – "like the politicians" – but he was confident it would obey him.

When Wahid first threatened an emergency in May, several top military figures and ministers argued publicly against any such move.