Beatrix begins eight-day six-province tour

JAKARTA (JP): Dutch Queen Beatrix met with President Soeharto yesterday to bid him farewell, before departing for the next leg of her visit, which will take her to six provinces in eight days.

In an informal meeting at the Merdeka Palace, Beatrix, accompanied by her husband Prince Claus and Crown Prince William Alexander, complimented the President on the tremendous success of Indonesia's development and wished Soeharto further success in the future.

The President in turn briefed the Dutch monarch on Indonesia's development strategy for the future and the economic challenges likely to be encountered.

During the meeting which was conducted in a rather light atmosphere, Beatrix delivered a message from her father, Prince Bernhard, asking Soeharto whether he was still a keen golfer.

Soeharto replied that he regularly kept a nine-hole schedule three times a week.

Beatrix also extended an invitation to the President and Mrs Tien Soeharto to visit the Netherlands.

Separately, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told journalists yesterday that officials on both sides would try to find an appropriate time for such a visit, depending on the schedules of both Soeharto and Beatrix.

In Surabaya yesterday, Beatrix attended a luncheon with East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman, before visiting Tambakrejo village. Yesterday evening she attended a reception aboard a Dutch ship.

Today, the fourth day of her stay in Indonesia, Beatrix will tour the site of state-owned shipbuilding company PT PAL.

At noon she will leave for Yogyakarta, where she will visit the world-famous Borobudur and Prambanan temples before traveling to Manado, North Sulawesi, tomorrow.

Her stay in Manado is meant as a holiday weekend for the queen to rest and relax. She thus has a free program on Saturday.

On Sunday Beatrix will attend a church service which will be conducted in Dutch.

"We have gathered our elderly, who are still fluent in Dutch, to accompany the Queen both at the church service and throughout her stay in North Sulawesi," Frans Gromang, head of the provincial tourism, post and telecommunication's office, was quoted by Antara as saying in Manado yesterday.

Beatrix will then visit the village of Woloan where she will witness the construction of a Minahasa house.

From Manado the Dutch monarch will continue her journey to Balikpapan, Palembang and finally Padang, from which she will leave Indonesia next Thursday. (mds)