Bolkiah first leader to arrive

Bolkiah first leader to arrive

JAKARTA (JP): Brunei leader Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah flew in
aboard his private plane yesterday to become the first head of
government to attend next week's APEC Economic Leaders Meeting
(AELM) in nearby Bogor.

Also on board was his younger brother Prince Mohamed Bolkiah,
who is Brunei's foreign minister, to attend the APEC ministerial
meeting which opens today.

Sultan Bolkiah, king of the tiny oil rich sultanate, is no
stranger to Indonesia, where he has extensive investments.

He was greeted by Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat at the
Halim Perdanakusuma airport and later driven in a limousine,
bearing the plate number AELM 2, to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Most other APEC leaders will arrive on Sunday, although the
Bogor meeting is not scheduled until Tuesday. However, Japanese
and South Korean leaders are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The leaders will be staying in eight different hotels in
Jakarta.

A number of the APEC leaders, including U.S. President Bill
Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-Sam, are combining
their APEC attendance with a state visit to Indonesia.

The various APEC leaders will also be holding bilateral
meetings on Monday, the eve of the Bogor talks. (als)