Abdurrahman plans whirlwind trips abroad, including Australia
Abdurrahman plans whirlwind trips abroad, including Australia
JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid, struggling to
maintain a grip on his presidency, is planning trips abroad,
including a long-awaited visit to Australia.
Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab told reporters on Saturday that
Abdurrahman is scheduled to visit Yemen, Nigeria, Sudan, Abu
Dhabi and Cairo at the end of the month before heading to Saudi
Arabia for the Haj pilgrim in early March.
"There have been discussions that the President plans to visit
Australia in early April," Alwi added.
Palace sources told The Jakarta Post on Sunday that
Abdurrahman is scheduled to leave on Feb. 22 and is due to return
to the state capital on March 7.
However from Canberra Reuters reported that Australian Prime
Minister John Howard was unaware of Abdurrahman's plan to visit,
but said he would welcome such a move.
"President Wahid is very welcome in this country," Howard
remarked.
In Jakarta a Cabinet source told the Post earlier that due to
heightened political tension in the country, Abdurrahman has
actually been advised either to cancel or cut short his trips.
The House of Representatives censured Abdurrahman earlier this
month for his alleged involvement in two financial scandals,
raising the prospect of impeachment proceedings.
He has denied any wrongdoing and refuses to step down.
Abdurrahman has visited dozens of countries since taking
office 15 months ago, triggering widespread criticism that he
spends too much time abroad instead of addressing the country's
extensive economic and social problems.
His trip to Australia has been delayed several times because
of anti-Australian sentiment in Indonesia since Australia led an
international force to restore peace and maintain security in the
former Indonesian province of East Timor.
Palace sources also said that Abdurrahman is scheduled to
attend the third summit of the eight developing nations (D-8) in
Cairo on Feb. 25.
The D-8, which groups Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Nigeria and Indonesia, was established in 1997 by
former Turkish prime minister Necmettin Erbakan.
The first D-8 summit was held in Istanbul in 1997 and last
year's summit was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (byg)