Friendly countries in line to boost ties with RI<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora and Veeramalla Anjaiah,
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Six weeks after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took office,
\nseveral high-ranking officials from friendly countries are slated
\nto visit Indonesia to explore possibilities of enhancing
\nbilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n
Susilo has already visited three countries as the new head of
\nstate: Egypt, where he attended a military funeral for the late
\nPalestinian President Yasser Arafat; Chile, for the APEC
\nconference; and Laos, for the ASEAN summit.<\/p>\n
The foreign dignitaries' visits, aimed to strengthen bilateral
\nrelations with Indonesia, will commence this month with the
\narrival of Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak next week
\nfor a four-day working trip.<\/p>\n
Najib's visit coincides with the visit of political rival and
\nformer deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will arrive on
\nMonday for a five-day trip.<\/p>\n
Najib and Anwar will meet President Susilo separately and are
\nexpected to compete for maximum media coverage during their stay.<\/p>\n
Najib, who is also Malaysia's defense minister, will also meet
\nwith Indonesian officials to discuss several sensitive issues,
\nincluding illegal immigrants, illegal logging, terrorism and
\nsecurity in the pirate-infested Malacca Strait.<\/p>\n
Anwar has an entirely different agenda.<\/p>\n
\"(Anwar's visit) will not be filled with political talks.
\nInstead, it will be a friendly visit, given the fact that Anwar
\nhas developed good relations with many Indonesian figures,
\npoliticians, academics and even poets,\" said Adi Sasono in his
\ncapacity as a major sponsor of the visit. Adi is also a former
\npresidential candidate from the Freedom Party and a Muslim
\nactivist.<\/p>\n
Anwar, who was freed on Sept. 2 after serving six years in
\njail for corruption and sodomy convictions under the government
\nof his political mentor and former premier Mahathir Mohamad, will
\ngive a series of lectures in Jakarta and in Bandung, West Java.
\nHe is also due to travel to Yogyakarta to meet with its Sultan
\nHamengkubuwono X.<\/p>\n
Jakarta will welcome another important visitor next week from
\nthe African continent.<\/p>\n
\"Our Foreign Minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini, will arrive here
\non Wednesday on a five-day visit,\" South African Ambassador to
\nIndonesia Norman Manuel Mashabane told The Jakarta Post on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Aside from meeting Susilo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and holding a
\nbilateral dialog, Dlamini is expected to prepare the groundwork
\nfor South African President Thabo Mbeki's planned visit to
\nIndonesia next year to attend the silver jubilee celebration of
\nthe Asia-Africa Conference.<\/p>\n
The anniversary celebration will be held in Jakarta and
\nBandung from April 21 to April 23.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Mladen
\nIvanic is expected to arrive in mid-December, a source at the
\nEmbassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Jakarta told the Post.<\/p>\n
Yuri Oktavian Thamrin, a foreign ministry spokesman, has
\nconfirmed the visits, but did not elaborate further, saying that
\nthe details were under discussion.<\/p>\n
According to another source, a U.S. State Department official
\nis also planning to visit Jakarta some time this month.<\/p>\n
In early November, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
\ncame to Indonesia on a two-day visit to boost bilateral
\nrelations. During his visit, Lee raised the issue of avoiding
\n\"megaphone diplomacy\" in dealing with bilateral issues.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/friendly-countries-in-line-to-boost-ties-with-ri-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}