Bandung Asian-African Summit to proceed as planned: Official

Bandung Asian-African Summit to proceed as planned: Official

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian foreign ministry has confirmed that the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Bandung Conference and the Asian- African Summit will not be affected by the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami and will go ahead as scheduled.

Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the summit would take place from April 21 to April 23 in Jakarta and Bandung, West Java. The events comprise the senior officials and foreign ministers' meetings, the summit and the commemoration.

"To date, there has been no change of plan regarding the conference. It will proceed as scheduled," he announced on Friday.

However, the event will be toned down in respect for tsunami victims in Aceh. For example, host Indonesia will not hold banquets for heads of state/government as originally planned.

The Bandung Conference was first held in April 1955 by leaders of Asian and African countries to enhance cooperation between countries on the two continents.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he planned to visit Indonesia in April to attend the Asia-Africa Conference, government officials said on Thursday.

Koizumi has received an invitation to the summit, and government officials are coordinating Koizumi's schedule, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said at a Tokyo a press conference.

"Japan is placing an emphasis on Asia and Africa. I want to convey Japan's policy so as to have our position understood by them," Koizumi was quoted by Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Thursday.

Chinese Prime Minister Hu Jintao has also confirmed he will attend the conference. More than 80 heads of state are expected to attend the summit.