Chancellor Schroeder to visit RI

JAKARTA: German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to arrive here on May 13 for an official two-day visit to Indonesia and will hold a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri on the next day, a palace official said on Tuesday.

The chancellor's visit, which is part of his Southeast Asian tour including Malaysia and Indonesia, will be the first by a German leader after the downfall of president Soeharto in 1998.

The last German chancellor to visit Indonesia was Helmut Kohl in 1996.

Schroeder and Megawati are also slated to sign several memorandums of understanding aimed at enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders will also visit the German Center in Serpong, Banten. --JP