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)