President Megawati arrives in Rome<\/p>\n
Imanuddin
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived in the Italian
\ncapital of Rome on Sunday morning (Sunday afternoon in Jakarta)
\non the first leg of her two-week European visit, a report said.<\/p>\n
The President and her entourage were welcomed at the Ciampino
\nmilitary airbase by the Indonesian Ambassador to Italy, Freddy
\nNumberi, Antara news agency reported.<\/p>\n
Megawati is slated to address a seven-minute speech at the
\nFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summit, which will begin
\non Monday through next Thursday. She will be the third speaker in
\nthe opening session of the summit.<\/p>\n
Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih, who is among the
\nPresident's entourage, told reporters that Indonesia would
\nexpress its support for a global attempt to reduce hunger and
\npoverty.<\/p>\n
Unlike the 1986 summit when Indonesia was praised for its
\nself-sufficiency in rice, Megawati this time around will
\nrepresent a country which is facing a food shortage.<\/p>\n
The World Food Summit at FAO's Rome headquarters follows up a
\nworld food conference held in 1996, which was aimed at restoring
\npolitical will to reduce the number of hungry people around the
\nworld to 400 million by 2005.<\/p>\n
Those attending the Rome summit will include dozens of heads
\nof states, mostly from developing countries, who expect to
\nnegotiate a new proposal for an extra US$24 billion of annual
\npublic investment from current national agriculture and rural
\ndevelopment programs to combat famine.<\/p>\n
The program will combine investment in farming and rural
\ndevelopment aimed at strengthening the poor's food purchasing
\npower as it focuses on small farmers and seeks to create more
\nopportunities for rural people.<\/p>\n
The summit was initially scheduled for last year, but
\npostponed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
Indonesia recently received $60 million in aid from the World
\nFood Program (WFP) to help tackle food shortages in various parts
\nof the country.<\/p>\n
During her Italian trip, Megawati is also scheduled to meet
\nPope John Paul II in the Vatican.<\/p>\n
The President will then fly to London to meet British Prime
\nMinister Tony Blair, and witness the signing of several
\nMemorandum of Understandings on cultural cooperation, recruitment
\nand the employment of health care professionals by Minister of
\nForeign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda.<\/p>\n
From June 17 to June 19, Megawati will be in the Czech
\nRepublic to meet Prime Minister Milos Zeman, President Vaclav
\nHavel, head of the senate Petr Pithart and Prague mayor Jan Kasl.<\/p>\n
Slovakia will be her last leg on the trip, where she will hold
\ntalks with President Rudolf Schuster and Prime Minister Mikulas
\nDzurinda before flying back home on June 21.<\/p>",
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