JAKARTA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Transport Ministry refused to impose the International Air Transport Association (IATA) safety standard on all domestic airliners, the country's transport minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said here Thursday.

    Vice President of IATA for Asia-Pacific Mike Barclay on Wednesday proposed to Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla to obligate all domestic airliners to comply with the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).

    Minister Djamal said that the refusal was because one of the Indonesian leading carrier Garuda, which has already long complied with the IATA standard, was still banned by the European Union (EU) to enter its territory.

    "This means that its (IATA's) standard is not acknowledged by the EU," Djamal told Xinhua at the State Palace.

    Garuda has imposed and met the IATA standard since the beginning of this year, according to the minister.

    The airline along with other five carriers in the country have been restricted by the EU since July 6 last year following a rampant air accident that killed hundreds of people.

    "IATA could not guarantee that one airline would be free from the EU ban after the airline met its standard," said Djamal.

    The minister gave a chance for IATA to prove its claim of good qualification of its standard by lobbying the EU to make the union acknowledge the IATA standard by revoking its ban on Indonesia's airlines after complying the IATA standard.

    Indonesia has been struggling to exit from the EU air travel ban.

    The country now is under the monitoring of the group for the possibility of lifting of the ban.

    The aviation authorities from Indonesia and EU have agreed to cooperate for accomplishment of the flight safety standard in Indonesia after the group authorities said in January that a lot of to be done by Indonesia to fully meet with the air safety standard.

    The EU extended its ban on Indonesia's air carriers on November 28 2007. But the group ended its ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and on Blue Wing Airlines of Surinam.