Soeharto to arrive home today<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto is due to arrive here this
\nmorning after doctors who gave him a three-day medical checkup
\ndeclared he was in \"excellent\" health.<\/p>\n
Soeharto checked out of the cardiac hospital in the German spa
\ntown of Bad Oeynhausen, where he underwent tests, and left for
\nhome at around 11 a.m. yesterday.<\/p>\n
Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono told journalists in his
\noffice yesterday that the President's plane was scheduled to
\ntouch down at Halim Perdanakusuma airport at 8:15 a.m.<\/p>\n
He reiterated that test results showed that Soeharto was in
\ngood health, describing the medical checkup abroad as \"a second
\nopinion\" that confirmed the positive prognosis of doctors at
\nhome.<\/p>\n
\"As I have said before, it's really quite normal for anyone to
\nseek a second opinion,\" Moerdiono remarked.<\/p>\n
He added that a team of seven Indonesian doctors were also
\npresent when Soeharto was undergoing the checkup.<\/p>\n
\"From the beginning, it had been planned that the President
\nwould go through a full medical examination by a team of German
\nand Indonesian doctors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Herz und Diabeteszentrum hospital is renown for its heart
\ntreatment. Indonesian Minister of Research and Technology B.J.
\nHabibie had also previously been treated in this 400 bed
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
Soeharto was previously scheduled to return home on Sunday. He
\ndecided to move up his trip home as soon as the doctors gave him
\na clean bill of health.<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said that Soeharto had not been cut off from
\ndomestic developments, as his aides provided him with daily
\nupdates.<\/p>\n
In fact, the President actually gave \"directions\" concerning
\none specific report, Moerdiono said. He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
The head of the examination team in Bad Oeynhausen, heart
\nspecialist Dr. Reiner Korfer, further confirmed yesterday the
\nPresident's physical condition.<\/p>\n
All the organs of the head of state -- including his heart,
\nliver, lungs and kidney -- are functioning normally, Korfer said,
\nas reported by Antara.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Thursday evening, Soeharto received a visit from
\nGerman Chancellor Helmut Kohl.<\/p>\n
Described as a meeting of \"two old friends\", the two leaders
\nconversed for over an hour.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, the President stressed the need for closer
\ncooperation between the two countries in the field of health. He
\nunderlined the importance of Indonesian doctors studying more
\nfrom their German colleagues in various medical fields, including
\ncardiology.<\/p>\n
Soeharto said that while sophisticated equipment was an
\nimportant factor, the quality and ability of the doctors
\nthemselves was also crucial.<\/p>\n
Also on Thursday, Soeharto hosted a modest dinner to thank the
\ndoctors and staff of the hospital. The dinner was held at the
\nhospital cafeteria.<\/p>\n
Soeharto expressed his gratitude at the warm reception given
\nhim as well as the thorough checkup he had undergone. He also
\nexpressed his delight at being given a demonstration of various
\nsophisticated health equipment at the hospital.<\/p>\n
Before leaving for the airport to return home yesterday
\nmorning, Soeharto separately received three guests. The first was
\nheavy machinery businessman Van Meyes, followed by Dr. Bishoff
\nfrom Daimler Benz Aerospace and finally, Dr. Schmidt, the
\nhospital's director. (mds)<\/p>",
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