Boutros-Ghali to Bandung

Boutros-Ghali to Bandung

JAKARTA (JP): United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali will visit Indonesia next month for the 30th commemoration of the Asia-Africa Conference.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas was quoted by the Antara news agency as saying that Boutros-Ghali has confirmed his participation in the commemoration ceremony in Bandung, West Java, on April 24. His visit to Indonesia will be followed by a trip to Australia.

Boutros-Ghali confirmed his visit during a meeting with Alatas on the sidelines of the World Conference on Social Development in Copenhagen on Friday.

The Bandung Conference, as the historic meeting is popularly known, brought together leaders from countries just freed from colonial shackles. The gathering inspired other countries to struggle for their independence.

The 10 Bandung Principles became the basis for the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement seven years later. Indonesia was a founding member of the movement which it now chairs. (emb)