Friendly countries in line to boost ties with RI

Adianto P. Simamora and Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Six weeks after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took office, several high-ranking officials from friendly countries are slated to visit Indonesia to explore possibilities of enhancing bilateral cooperation.

Susilo has already visited three countries as the new head of state: Egypt, where he attended a military funeral for the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat; Chile, for the APEC conference; and Laos, for the ASEAN summit.

The foreign dignitaries' visits, aimed to strengthen bilateral relations with Indonesia, will commence this month with the arrival of Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak next week for a four-day working trip.

Najib's visit coincides with the visit of political rival and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will arrive on Monday for a five-day trip.

Najib and Anwar will meet President Susilo separately and are expected to compete for maximum media coverage during their stay.

Najib, who is also Malaysia's defense minister, will also meet with Indonesian officials to discuss several sensitive issues, including illegal immigrants, illegal logging, terrorism and security in the pirate-infested Malacca Strait.

Anwar has an entirely different agenda.

"(Anwar's visit) will not be filled with political talks. Instead, it will be a friendly visit, given the fact that Anwar has developed good relations with many Indonesian figures, politicians, academics and even poets," said Adi Sasono in his capacity as a major sponsor of the visit. Adi is also a former presidential candidate from the Freedom Party and a Muslim activist.

Anwar, who was freed on Sept. 2 after serving six years in jail for corruption and sodomy convictions under the government of his political mentor and former premier Mahathir Mohamad, will give a series of lectures in Jakarta and in Bandung, West Java. He is also due to travel to Yogyakarta to meet with its Sultan Hamengkubuwono X.

Jakarta will welcome another important visitor next week from the African continent.

"Our Foreign Minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini, will arrive here on Wednesday on a five-day visit," South African Ambassador to Indonesia Norman Manuel Mashabane told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Aside from meeting Susilo, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda and holding a bilateral dialog, Dlamini is expected to prepare the groundwork for South African President Thabo Mbeki's planned visit to Indonesia next year to attend the silver jubilee celebration of the Asia-Africa Conference.

The anniversary celebration will be held in Jakarta and Bandung from April 21 to April 23.

Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina Foreign Minister Mladen Ivanic is expected to arrive in mid-December, a source at the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Jakarta told the Post.

Yuri Oktavian Thamrin, a foreign ministry spokesman, has confirmed the visits, but did not elaborate further, saying that the details were under discussion.

According to another source, a U.S. State Department official is also planning to visit Jakarta some time this month.

In early November, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong came to Indonesia on a two-day visit to boost bilateral relations. During his visit, Lee raised the issue of avoiding "megaphone diplomacy" in dealing with bilateral issues.