Alatas bedridden for next two weeks: Spokesman

Alatas bedridden for next two weeks: Spokesman

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas is
suffering from fatigue and has canceled all official duties for
the next two weeks, his office announced yesterday.

Alatas, 61, was admitted to the Intensive Cardiac Care Unit of
the private Medistra hospital on Wednesday where he convalesce,
Director of Information Irawan Abidin said.

This means that the minister will not travel to Kuala Lumpur
and Cairo this week as planned.

His scheduled meeting yesterday with the executive of the
Indonesian Journalists Association was also canceled.

Alatas had been slated to lead the Indonesian delegation at
the Joint Commission meeting with Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur
beginning on Saturday.

One of the main items on the agenda is the fate of the two
islands, Sipadan and Ligitan, which are currently disputed
between the two neighboring countries. Alatas's place will be
taken by Director General for Politics Ishar Ibrahim.

Alatas was also scheduled to travel to Cairo for the mid-term
ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which is
chaired by Indonesia. He will be replaced at the May 31-June 3
meeting by senior diplomat Nana Sutresna, who is also head of the
NAM's executive committee. Ishar will join Nana in Cairo.

As Indonesia's chief diplomat, Alatas has traveled extensively
over the past month, including visits to Bulgaria, Switzerland
and South Africa. At home he was kept busy by visits from foreign
dignitaries.

He was also preoccupied with the diplomatic row with the
Philippines over Manila's plan to host a conference on East
Timor. (pwn)