Better treatment of Anwar opens Habibie's way to APEC

JAKARTA (JP): The transfer of sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to the modern Sungai Buloh prison has removed the most important hurdle for President B.J. Habibie to visit Malaysia next month, a government official said on Saturday.

Presidential spokeswoman Dewi Fortuna Anwar said Habibie had decided to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Malaysia next month because he was encouraged by the authorities' better treatment of Anwar.

The summit was also strategically very important for the region, she said.

"The better treatment given to Anwar and a possible house arrest status for him have eradicated major barriers for the visit," Dewi told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

A reliable source disclosed on Friday the President had assured Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during a recent telephone conversation that he would attend the APEC summit in Kuala Lumpur.

"Pak Habibie told Mahathir that he did not intend to interfere in Malaysia's internal affairs, he was just worried about the condition of his close friend Anwar," said a palace official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official said Habibie telephoned Mahathir shortly before his meeting with Philippine President Joseph Estrada in Batam on Tuesday.

Habibie told the prime minister he had to drop his planned visit to Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 9, due to his mounting domestic duties.

"Bapak could not go for a bilateral visit there without meeting Anwar. Such a meeting would have been an embarrassment for Mahathir," said the official who was following the developments closely.

However, Dewi said, "the President did not say anything about his conversation with Mahathir to me."

According to Dewi, unlike Estrada, Habibie preferred quiet diplomacy in his approach to Mahathir because the relations between Malaysia and Indonesia were very close.

"The issue is very sensitive," Dewi said.

The three countries are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) together with Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. All of them are also APEC members.

During their brief meeting in Batam, both Habibie and Estrada expressed their deep sorrow over the arrest and beatings of Anwar and planned to send a joint letter to Mahathir to persuade him to grant Anwar house arrest.

"The two presidents have ordered their foreign ministers to draft the letter," Dewi said.

Habibie met secretly with Anwar's 18-year-old daughter Nurul Izzah for about 10 minutes after his arrival at Hang Nadim Airport in Batam.

Nurul then met with Estrada in Manila on Thursday.

Very few officials knew about the meeting at the airport. Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas insisted there was no such meeting.

"Anwar, being a former deputy prime minister and finance minister, should not be treated like a common criminal," Estrada said after meeting with Habibie.

Mahathir said on Friday that he was shocked and angry to learn that Anwar sustained a black eye and bruises while in police custody.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Saturday dismissed Habibie and Estrada's concerns about Anwar as personal views which did not reflect their countries' official positions.

"The two presidents may be good friends of Anwar and this had influenced their personal stands," AFP quoted Badawi as saying. (prb)