Reformists meeting canceled due to technical reasons<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The officially scheduled dialogue between
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid and the country's three top leaders
\non Thursday was canceled due to technical reasons.<\/p>\n
President Secretary Djoko Mulyono officially scheduled the
\nPresident to attend the talk show at 8 p.m., which was organized
\nby Antara news agency, at Wisma Antara building on Jl. Merdeka
\nSelatan, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Also invited were Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\nPeople's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, and House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.<\/p>\n
Except for Akbar, the country's top figures were known as
\nreform leaders prior to the fall of former president Soeharto in
\n1998.<\/p>\n
Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab played down the
\ncancellation, saying the four leaders just preferred a closed
\ndoor meeting.<\/p>\n
\"They felt the dialogue would be more effective without a
\nmediator,\" Alwi said after meeting with the President at the
\nMerdeka Palace.<\/p>\n
Alwi flatly denied that the meeting could not be held due to
\nthe worsening relations among the leaders, particularly between
\nAbdurrahman, popularly called Gus Dur, and Amien.<\/p>\n
\"There is no conflict between Pak Amien and Gus Dur. Insya
\nAllah (God willing), they will meet within the next two days,\"
\nAlwi remarked.<\/p>\n
There was no explanation from the three figures about their
\nabsence. According to her official schedule, the Vice President
\non Thursday evening was slated to meet with Minister of Mines and
\nEnergy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at her official residence.<\/p>\n
Called \"Ciganjur Meeting II\", the upcoming meeting was
\nsupposed to emulate the first get-together held at Abdurrahman's
\nprivate residence in the South Jakarta suburb of Ciganjur in
\nNovember last year.<\/p>\n
The first Ciganjur meeting, which was also attended by
\nYogyakarta monarch Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, resulted in the
\ngroup's call on then president B.J. Habibie to resign.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman succeeded Habibie at the expense of Megawati in
\nlast October's presidential election.<\/p>\n
\"It is not impossible that the meeting will be held again,\"
\nAlwi said. (prb)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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