Carter meets Habibie, opposition party leaders
Carter meets Habibie, opposition party leaders
JAKARTA (JP): Former United States president Jimmy Carter on
Sunday held a series of meetings with President B.J. Habibie and
party leaders Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and
Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).
The meetings, held just one day before the general election,
were meant to ascertain the leading politicians' concepts for the
future. Carter is in Indonesia leading a delegation of 100 poll
observers.
The meeting with Habibie was also attended by Coordinating
Minister for Development Supervision and Administrative Reforms
Sastrosoenarto Hartarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas,
Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto, State Minister of Public
Housing Theo L. Sambuaga and Minister of Cooperatives and Small
Enterprises Adi Sasono. One of Habibie's assistants, Jimly
Asshidiqie, said the meeting did not include discussions on
preparations for the polls.
After meeting with Habibie, Carter went to Borobudur Hotel in
Central Jakarta to meet with Amien Rais.
Carter asked Amien about his plans if he were elected
president and his views on the issues of Aceh and East Timor and
his party's proposal for federalism.
"Mr. Carter asked me whether I would invite other state
figures to rule and manage the country if I was elected
president," Amien said after the meeting.
"And I said 'absolutely'. I told Mr. Carter that I believe in
a collective state leadership, while understanding that there are
lots of figures that I can cooperate with," he said.
Speaking about the trouble in Aceh, Amien told Carter that the
trouble in the province had to be specifically handled after long
years of unsettled and delayed solutions. Officials have
attributed mounting demands in Aceh for a referendum instead of a
general election to unsettled grievances over the 10-year
military operation in Aceh.
When Amien first took over the chairmanship of PAN, he raised
the issue of federalism but has rarely discussed the topic since
critics said such a discussion could lead to disintegration.
Amien told Carter a proposal for a federal state should be
further discussed with all elements of the nation. Aceh Governor
Syamsuddin Machmud earlier said federalism might be the only way
to keep the country from disintegrating.
Meanwhile, Amien reiterated to Carter PAN's commitment to the
direct ballot planned for August in East Timor to determine the
province's future. "We'll have to respect whatever the result of
the direct vote is," he said.
Amien used the meeting to persuade Carter to withhold from
issuing "positive" comments about the elections while the process
was still ongoing and before ballot counting had begun.
He also briefed Carter about "money politics" in the country.
Carter's met with Megawati at five p.m. The PDI Perjuangan
chairwoman, however, did not provide details of the meeting.
"What I have discussed with Mr. Carter is how to make
tomorrow's elections honest, fair and democratic," she said after
the meeting. (imn)
JAKARTA (JP): Former United States president Jimmy Carter on
Sunday held a series of meetings with President B.J. Habibie and
party leaders Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and
Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).
The meetings, held just one day before the general election,
were meant to ascertain the leading politicians' concepts for the
future. Carter is in Indonesia leading a delegation of 100 poll
observers.
The meeting with Habibie was also attended by Coordinating
Minister for Development Supervision and Administrative Reforms
Sastrosoenarto Hartarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas,
Minister of Finance Bambang Subianto, State Minister of Public
Housing Theo L. Sambuaga and Minister of Cooperatives and Small
Enterprises Adi Sasono. One of Habibie's assistants, Jimly
Asshidiqie, said the meeting did not include discussions on
preparations for the polls.
After meeting with Habibie, Carter went to Borobudur Hotel in
Central Jakarta to meet with Amien Rais.
Carter asked Amien about his plans if he were elected
president and his views on the issues of Aceh and East Timor and
his party's proposal for federalism.
"Mr. Carter asked me whether I would invite other state
figures to rule and manage the country if I was elected
president," Amien said after the meeting.
"And I said 'absolutely'. I told Mr. Carter that I believe in
a collective state leadership, while understanding that there are
lots of figures that I can cooperate with," he said.
Speaking about the trouble in Aceh, Amien told Carter that the
trouble in the province had to be specifically handled after long
years of unsettled and delayed solutions. Officials have
attributed mounting demands in Aceh for a referendum instead of a
general election to unsettled grievances over the 10-year
military operation in Aceh.
When Amien first took over the chairmanship of PAN, he raised
the issue of federalism but has rarely discussed the topic since
critics said such a discussion could lead to disintegration.
Amien told Carter a proposal for a federal state should be
further discussed with all elements of the nation. Aceh Governor
Syamsuddin Machmud earlier said federalism might be the only way
to keep the country from disintegrating.
Meanwhile, Amien reiterated to Carter PAN's commitment to the
direct ballot planned for August in East Timor to determine the
province's future. "We'll have to respect whatever the result of
the direct vote is," he said.
Amien used the meeting to persuade Carter to withhold from
issuing "positive" comments about the elections while the process
was still ongoing and before ballot counting had begun.
He also briefed Carter about "money politics" in the country.
Carter's met with Megawati at five p.m. The PDI Perjuangan
chairwoman, however, did not provide details of the meeting.
"What I have discussed with Mr. Carter is how to make
tomorrow's elections honest, fair and democratic," she said after
the meeting. (imn)