Alatas to visit Cuba and Venezuela

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas will visit Venezuela and Cuba en route to New York to attend the 52nd United Nations General Assembly meeting.

Alatas is scheduled to arrive in Caracas on Sept. 15. There he will sign a cooperation agreement between the national news agency Antara and the Venezuelan news agency Venpres.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Burelli Rivas visited Indonesia on Feb. 27.

During the three-day visit, Alatas will discuss the prospect of bilateral ties with Venezuelan high-ranking officials, businesspeople, diplomats, non-governmental organizations, the press and academicians.

He will also explain Indonesia's position on the East Timor issue.

Alatas will arrive in Havana for a two-day visit on Sept. 18. The visit to Cuba reciprocates the visit by Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina to Indonesia last year.

In Havana, the Indonesian foreign minister will also sign a cooperation agreement between Antara and Cuba's Prensa Latina.

He will also lead the first meeting of the Indonesia-Cuba Joint Commission.

After his brief stop in the two Latin-American countries, Alatas will then fly to New York.

Meanwhile in Guetemala City, Indonesia's permanent representative to the UN, Makarim Wibisono, who is also accredited to Guetemala, submitted on Thursday his credentials to Guatemalan President Alvaro Arzu Irigoyen.

During the ceremony Makarim and President Alvaro exchanged views on several matters.

The Guatemalan president, in his capacity as leader of the Central American Summit, also expressed willingness to convey positive and constructive views on the East Timor problem to Central American leaders.

The Central American leaders will gather at a summit meeting held in El Salvador today. (10)