AII to hold 'Young Leaders' dialogue

AII to hold 'Young Leaders' dialogue

JAKARTA: The Australian-Indonesian Institute (AII) will hold a
"Young Leaders" dialogue involving Indonesians and Australians in
Bogor from May 22 through May 24, AII chairman Philip Flood said
on Wednesday.

The meeting, the first ever held by AII, was aimed at boosting
common understanding between the potential leaders of the two
countries, as well as discussing the bilateral relationship and
global issues.

Participants of the meeting, slated to be 12 from each
country, would come from a broad range of fields, including
education and culture.

"The participants have been very carefully selected, and are
expected to be the leaders of their respective countries within
20 years," Flood told a media conference here.

The Board of AII visited President Megawati Soekarnoputri on
Wednesday, and this would be followed by other visits to
prominent community leaders in Jakarta and Makassar, to hear
first-hand information from Indonesians about their views on the
social and political situation here.

So far, the institute has supported exchange programs between
both countries' media figures and fellowships for students and
researchers. The latest envisages leader exchanges between Muslim
figures from both countries. -- JP