President's planned Middle East tour riles the House<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid once again raised a
\nfew eyebrows when he announced that he would go abroad on Monday
\nfor a three-country visit to the Middle East followed by the
\nPhilippines despite the unsettled domestic strife.<\/p>\n
The President will be going to Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. He is
\nscheduled to address a meeting of the World Congress of Religion
\nand Peace, which he chairs, in Amman on Thursday.<\/p>\n
This will be followed by his second visit to Manila in less
\nthan three weeks to attend a meeting of leaders of the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Nov. 28.<\/p>\n
If all goes according to schedule, Abdurrahman will have spent
\n18 days visiting 13 countries in his 40 days in power until the
\nend of November.<\/p>\n
Foreign ministry sources said he would squeeze in a visit to
\nBrunei prior to Manila and then go to China in the first week of
\nDecember.<\/p>\n
News of another foreign tour prompted an immediate reaction
\nfrom House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung who
\nquestioned the government's sense of urgency in handling the
\nmultitude of domestic issues.<\/p>\n
"I have said that the government, apart from having a sense of
\ncrisis, must also have a sense of urgency. This means recognizing
\nwhat is urgent and what should become a priority," Akbar said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
"Without taking away the importance of foreign affairs, the
\ngovernment should recognize that domestic issues are no less
\nimportant and are in fact more crucial. This is especially so for
\nissues rising in several regions, in particular Aceh, which, if
\nnot handled wisely, could create unwanted effects toward
\ndisintegration."<\/p>\n
"The bottom line is that domestic priorities must be put ahead
\nof foreign issues," he asserted.<\/p>\n
Except for Brunei, Abdurrahman has visited all fellow
\nASEAN member states and also Japan and the United States.<\/p>\n
Foreign minister Alwi Shihab said that apart from giving an
\naddress to the World Council of Religion and Peace the trip was
\naimed at attracting investment from that region.<\/p>\n
He said Iraq was initially planned in the trip, but due to the
\ntight schedule it was canceled. Alwi said the President would
\nsend a special note to Iraq's President Saddam Hussein explaining
\nthe change in plan.<\/p>\n
"The Middle East seems to be very enthusiastic about taking
\npart in our economic recovery and they see a healthy atmosphere
\nfor investments here," Alwi added.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the criticism of the President's frequent
\nforeign trips, Alwi said: "The President cannot cancel this trip
\nbecause the date for speaking at the World Congress was set up
\neven before he became President." (02\/04)<\/p>",
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