Team reports preparations for APEC<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister\/State Secretary Moerdiono, also
\nchairman of the committee for the Asia Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) forum, met with President Soeharto here
\nyesterday to report on preparations for the November meeting.<\/p>\n
"I have just reported to the President on the field
\npreparations for the coming APEC economic leaders meeting,"
\nMoerdiono said at the Bina Graha presidential office.<\/p>\n
He told journalists that his report focused on the arrangement
\nof two main events, the leader's working dinner on Nov. 14 and
\nthe APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) on Nov. 15.<\/p>\n
Indonesia will host the sixth APEC Ministerial Meeting here on
\nfrom Nov. 11 to Nov. 12, which will be followed by the second
\nAELM at the Bogor Presidential Palace, some 60 kilometers south
\nof here, on Nov. 15.<\/p>\n
APEC comprises Canada, the United States, Mexico, Japan,
\nChina, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand,
\nMalaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea,
\nAustralia and New Zealand. Chile will join the forum next month.<\/p>\n
Fifteen heads of state are expected to be in Indonesia to
\nrepresent their countries in the "informal" meeting in Bogor.<\/p>\n
Sitting<\/p>\n
"I don't have to be given a higher chair ... I want all the
\nAELM leaders to be sitting in equal positions," Moerdiono quoted
\nSoeharto as instructing him on the seating arrangements in the
\nGaruda Room of the Bogor palace, where the leaders will convene.<\/p>\n
Soeharto, as host, will sit in the middle, sandwiched between
\ntwo of the most powerful leaders in the world -- U.S. President
\nBill Clinton on the right and Japanese Prime Minister Murayama on
\nthe left.<\/p>\n
The other leaders will sit in alphabetical order, starting
\nfrom Australia at the far right to Thailand on the left.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has left nothing to chance in
\npreparations for what should be a highly momentous occasion in
\nthe country's history.<\/p>\n
Under the auspices of Moerdiono, a special host committee has
\nbeen formed to oversee the running of APEC meetings.<\/p>\n
Due to the significance of the event, a horde of media people
\nare expected to descend on the APEC meeting venues, with over
\n2,300 local and foreign journalists registered so far.<\/p>\n
Concern<\/p>\n
Moerdiono said the president is paying tremendous attention to
\nthe activities and needs of the journalists covering the AELM in
\nBogor.<\/p>\n
While the leaders convene inside the palace, journalists
\noutside will be entertained by dances and other cultural shows to
\nhelp them pass the seven-hour wait constructively.<\/p>\n
"The sound system will be directed in such a way that it does
\nnot disturb the leaders meeting inside," Sampurno, the head of
\nthe presidential household and a member of the APEC national host
\ncommittee, remarked.<\/p>\n
"Where will the toilets for the journalists be?" Soeharto was
\nquoted as asking in an obvious show of concern.<\/p>\n
Sampurno explained that 20 toilets will be available for the
\nexclusive use of journalists.<\/p>\n
While the leaders are busy conversing in Bogor, a ladies
\nprogram has been planned at the Indonesian Miniature Park (TMII).<\/p>\n
In the afternoon, first lady Tien Soeharto will host a
\nluncheon at the Merdeka Palace here.<\/p>\n
Sampurno said that American first lady Hillary Clinton might
\nnot attend the luncheon because she would likely be traveling to
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Speaking on preparations for the working dinner to be held at
\nthe Jakarta Convention Center on the eve of the AELM, Moerdiono
\nexpects about 200 guests.<\/p>\n
"The working dinner will be an opportunity for the leaders to
\nexchange views on the decisions that could be reached in Bogor on
\nNov. 15," Moerdiono said. (mds)<\/p>\n
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