Amien, Akbar want extended Yogyakarta political summit

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Amien Rais and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung have confirmed their attendance at the Yogyakarta summit scheduled for Aug. 1, but have proposed that participation be extended to include other members of the political elite.

The two figures said at different events on Tuesday that they had accepted a personal invitation from Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and decided to attend in a bid to encourage a reconciliation among the country's top political figures.

"The sultan's personal invitation was delivered by his younger brother Gusti Jayahadikusuma two weeks ago and I received it directly as the meeting is very important," Amien said after receiving several foreign diplomats at his office.

Besides Amien and Akbar, President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri have also been invited to the meeting.

Hamengkubowono, who is also Yogyakarta governor, took the initiative to sponsor the meeting after the four figures failed to hold such a meeting on July 12 in Jakarta.

The proposed meeting will coincide with the sultan's 56th birthday according to the Javanese calendar.

Both Amien and Akbar called for an extension of participation at the meeting but were divided over which other figures should be invited. Akbar wanted Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Adm. Widodo A.S. and Hamzah Haz, chairman of the United Development Party (PPP) to be invited, while Amien proposed that leading religious figures also attend.

"The meeting is expected to be successful if the participation is extended," Amien said.

Akbar stressed that it was enough to invite the five figures representing the five major political parties, and the military commander.

"It will be difficult to reach agreement if religious figures attend the meeting," he said.

Amien declined to comment on the details of the meeting's agenda, but said it is aimed at calming down political tension for the sake of a peaceful and secure General Session of the Assembly from Aug. 7 through Aug. 18.

Akbar said that he had not been informed about the meeting's agenda but was confident that it would be similar to "a national reconciliation among the members of the political elite so as to seek solutions to national problems."

"Insya Allah (God willing), I will come to the event. It will be more or less like a dialog between us," he said.

"It is not aimed at seeking support for Abdurrahman's presidency, because we have never had any intention at all to unseat him, but will rather be more concerned with the national agenda of the ongoing reform process."

In Yogyakarta, Hamengkubuwono said that the four prominent figures were invited in their personal capacities. The invitations were sent on July 18, he added.

The meeting will be held in the Jene room, a special guest room at the Yogyakarta Palace, beginning at 11 a.m.

"We will have lunch and discuss the country's crucial multi- dimensional crises. I want to remind them of the suffering of millions of people due to hunger and outbreaks of violence in the country," Hamengkubuwono said.

Commenting on the planned summit, political observer J. Kristiadi said it would contribute significantly to the peace- making process ahead of the August MPR session.

"The meeting will reduce 'political disagreement' among the elite and prevent critical legislators from diverting the session other issues such as the possible removal of Abdurrahman from office," Kristiadi said in Yogyakarta.

"Hopefully this will assure people that there will be no chaos and no mass deployment by certain parties." (44/dja/rms/edt)