Soeharto ends Sarajevo trip safely<\/p>\n
ZAGREB (JP): Alhamdulillah (All praise to Allah) was the first
\nphrase uttered by President Soeharto when his plane from Sarajevo
\nlanded in Zagreb on Monday.<\/p>\n
In fact, relief was all around as the plane carrying the
\nPresident and his entourage to Zagreb touched down safely.<\/p>\n
Officials accompanying the President uttered the same phrase,
\nwhile security officers and Indonesian journalists awaiting his
\nreturn in Zagreb greeted him with \"Welcome back Mr. President\".<\/p>\n
The president, smiling, responded, \"Thank you.\"<\/p>\n
The four hours Soeharto spent in Sarajevo were a source of
\nanxiety for the nation. All knew of the risk the President was
\ntaking by entering a city that has been under siege for the last
\nthree years and where snipers roam at will.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta last Friday, Moslem preachers at various prayers
\ncalled on all Indonesians to pray for the safety of the head of
\nstate.<\/p>\n
Reports in Sarajevo said that the UN chartered plane had been
\nshot at by snipers as it was landing to collect the President for
\nhis return to Zagreb. Apart from that, the rest of the
\nPresident's visit was quiet and incident-free.<\/p>\n
Despite an earlier guarantee by the United Nations missions in
\nCroatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina for their safety, the President
\nand his 21-member entourage were still required to sign papers
\nabsolving the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR) of responsibility
\nfor anything that may have happened to them on the way to
\nSarajevo.<\/p>\n
Soeharto was also asked to don a bullet proof vest before
\nboarding his flight to Sarajevo. An unconfirmed report suggested
\nthat he did away with the uncomfortable vest.<\/p>\n
The limited space on the plane also meant that a number of
\nIndonesia's special security forces sent to protect the President
\nwere not able to board the flight to Sarajevo.<\/p>\n
Some 24 hours earlier, the plane that was carrying UN Special
\nEnvoy Yasushi Akashi was shot at as it was landing. No one was
\nhurt but it momentarily threw Soeharto's trip into doubt.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono, who was part of the
\npresidential entourage, said the decision to go ahead with the
\ntrip was last-minute. \"We had to be sure first about the
\nsituation there.\"<\/p>\n
\"It seemed like a long flight,\" Moerdiono recalled of the
\njourney from Zagreb to Sarajevo.<\/p>\n
Brave<\/p>\n
\"I can say that President Soeharto is very brave to travel to
\nSarajevo at this time,\" UNPROFOR director of information Michael
\nWilliams said before the flight left for Sarajevo.<\/p>\n
Soeharto's decision to go ahead with the trip was to show
\nIndonesia's support for Bosnia-Herzegovina in its war against the
\nwell-armed Bosnian Serb minority.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also went there as chairman of the 111-nation Non-
\nAligned Movement (NAM).<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said Soeharto went to Sarajevo to give Indonesian
\nmoral support to the Bosnian people in their fight against the
\nSerb aggressors.<\/p>\n
Also taking part in the trip to Sarajevo were Minister of
\nForeign Affairs Ali Alatas, Armed Forces Chief Gen. Feisal
\nTanjung and Nana Sutresna, the chief executive to the NAM
\nChairman. (riz)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/soeharto-ends-sarajevo-trip-safely-1447893297",
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