Susilo needs warming up in Busan<\/p>\n
Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post\/Busan, South Korea<\/p>\n
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to be
\nadopting a form of \"silent\" diplomacy while attending the first
\nmeeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
After meeting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun early in the
\nmorning and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong afterwards,
\nSusilo attended the first meeting of the two-day summit.<\/p>\n
Upon arriving at the Leader's Lounge at the Busan Exhibition
\nand Convention Center (BEXCO), Susilo, unlike the other leaders,
\ndid not engage in conversation.<\/p>\n
The only close companion of the President before and after the
\nmeeting was his spokesman, advisor and interpreter Dino Pati
\nDjalal.<\/p>\n
The 21 APEC leaders sat in a circle. With the exception of the
\nhosts of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 summits, all other leaders were
\nseated in clockwise alphabetical order.<\/p>\n
President Roh sat at the head of the circular arrangement, and
\nVietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, as the host of next year's
\nsummit, sat at Roh's right.<\/p>\n
Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, as the host of last year's
\nmeeting, sat on Roh's left.<\/p>\n
President Susilo, in black suit, sat beside Hong Kong interim
\nleader Donald Tsang and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
\nKoizumi.<\/p>\n
While other leaders were engaged in light banter when leaving
\nthe lounge to their cars, President Susilo was seen unattended,
\naside from Roh who later walked him out to say farewell.<\/p>\n
After the meeting, Susilo and other leaders attended the gala
\ndinner and cultural performance for the APEC leaders and some
\n1,000 other delegations and business heads participating in the
\nsummit.<\/p>\n
Here, Susilo and First Lady Kristiani Yudhoyono sat beside
\nPresident Roh, right at the center, giving them a wide view of
\nthe audience. Despite the position, Susilo was seen for only a
\nfew seconds on local TV channels, which gave more time to
\nMalaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Thailand Prime
\nMinister Thaksin Shinawatra.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the second APEC Retreat will be held at a
\nspecially designed get-away called the Nurimaru APEC House,
\nlocated on the nearby Dongbaek Island, under the theme \"A Safe
\nand Transparent Asia-Pacific Region\".<\/p>\n
After the meeting, the leaders will stand in front of APEC
\nHouse dressed in formal turumagi Korean traditional costume for
\na for a group photograph.<\/p>",
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