Mahathir, Soeharto likely to discuss APEC issues<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The leadership meeting of the Asia-Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation (APEC) forum is likely to be discussed when
\nMalaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad meets with President
\nSoeharto this weekend, an official says.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono told reporters yesterday
\nthat the preparations for the APEC meeting in Bogor this November
\nwould be the focus of discussions between the two leaders.<\/p>\n
Mahathir is scheduled to make an unofficial visit tomorrow and
\nSaturday in keeping with a tradition among leaders of the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to hold periodic
\nconsultations. He will be accompanied by Mrs. Mahathir, Foreign
\nMinister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Defense Minister Najib Razak.<\/p>\n
The prime minister is also scheduled to address an
\ninternational conference on human resources development organized
\nby the Jakarta-based Center for Information and Development
\nStudies (CIDES). The conference was opened by President Soeharto
\nlast night.<\/p>\n
Mahathir stayed away from the first APEC leadership meeting in
\nSeattle, the United States, last November complaining that
\nWashington, which then led the forum, was trying to
\ninstitutionalize APEC and exert its influence over other members.<\/p>\n
The prime minister has agreed to attend the second leadership
\nmeeting hosted by Soeharto in nearby Bogor in November.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has been pushing for the establishment of an all
\nAsian economic grouping that will include economic giants Japan
\nand South Korea along with ASEAN countries. But the idea, which
\nhas been opposed by the United States, failed to garner support
\neven from some ASEAN countries.<\/p>\n
Compromise<\/p>\n
As a compromise, ASEAN agreed to make the proposed group,
\ncalled the East Asia Economic Caucus, as a forum within APEC. But
\neven this idea has not been sold to Japan and South Korea.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas told reporters on a
\nseparate occasion yesterday that the proposal of ASEAN leaders
\nmeeting before the APEC leadership meeting has not been agreed by
\nall the leaders concerned so far.<\/p>\n
ASEAN foreign ministers in their last meeting in Bangkok
\nagreed to recommend their leaders have one meeting ahead of the
\nAPEC talks, Alatas said.<\/p>\n
ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
\nSingapore and Thailand. Soeharto is scheduled to meet with
\nSingapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong later this month in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Alatas said another probable agenda in the talks between
\nSoeharto and Mahathir will be the resolution of the conflict
\nbetween Indonesia and Malaysia over the ownership of the Sipadan
\nand Ligitan Isles off East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
The latest round of talks to resolve the dispute broke down in
\nJakarta last week with Malaysia demanding an international
\narbitration while Indonesia insisted the matter could still be
\nresolved bilaterally, or if not, through the ASEAN mechanism.
\n(emb)<\/p>",
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