Abdurrahman receives red carpet welcome in Britain

Abdurrahman receives red carpet welcome in Britain

LONDON (Agencies): Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid
arrived here on Tuesday to a red carpet welcome and looked set to
receive the full political backing of British Prime Minister Tony
Blair on Indonesia's reforms.

"The prime minister will tell him Britain fully supports what
he is doing," Blair's spokesman told reporters hours before the
two heads of government were due to meet at Downing Street at
about 8:30 p.m..

The spokesman said Blair would congratulate Abdurrahman on his
efforts to bring those responsible for violence in East Timor to
justice, for reestablishing democracy and for pushing through
economic reforms.

As well as meeting Blair, the President will hold talks with
Foreign Secretary Robin Cook and International Development
Secretary Clare Short.

Earlier in the day, British Foreign Office minister John
Battle, back from a trip to Indonesia, said the country had been
"transformed".

"There's now a democratically elected parliament, there's the
first democratically chosen president for many, many years, the
first civilian defense minister ... they have a human rights
minister ... so I think the situation has dramatically changed,
there's a new situation and a new emerging democracy now in
Indonesia," he told BBC radio.

Two weeks ago, Britain announced it was lifting an arms
embargo against Indonesia in line with a European Union ruling.

Abdurrahman is currently on his third stop of a lightening 13
nation 16-day overseas tour of European, Middle Eastern and Asian
countries.