Jakarta. The United States Embassy in Jakarta said "an administrative error" was the cause of Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo being temporarily denied from boarding a US-bound flight last week, according to an online statement released on Wednesday (25/10).

" […] General Gatot Nurmantyo and his wife were delayed in their ability to board their flight due to an administrative error. The error was quickly corrected. We have taken appropriate measures to prevent this matter from occurring again," the statement said.

On Saturday, Gatot was about to board an Emirates flight from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, when an airline representative informed him that he had been barred from entering the United States.

Gatot was invited by Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, to a conference in Washington, DC, on Oct. 23-24.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi demanded an explanation from the United States following the incident, which prompted official apologies from US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and officials at the US Embassy in Jakarta.

A report from Bloomberg citing the US Department of Homeland Security said that US authorities warned Gatot that his flight on Saturday could be delayed due to security protocols.

The US government was unable to resolve the issue before Nurmantyo’s scheduled flight and he was denied boarding. Gatot was later booked on another flight, to which the official said he refused.

"When I received news that I wasn’t able to depart, I told the president. He told me I didn’t have to go," Gatot said, as quoted by state news agency Antara, adding that he was "disappointed" for not being able to meet Dunford.

In the statement, the US Embassy cited its responsibility to maintain national security as part of its activities in "ensuring that all persons traveling to the United States are screened and properly vetted," adding that both Gatot and his wife are "welcome."