G-15 summit to proceed as planned amid doubt

JAKARTA (JP): Preparations and pre-meeting events for the Group of 15 summit proceeded full steam ahead over the weekend, despite the fate of the summit itself seemingly stuttering as another head of state canceled his attendance.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe became the latest no-show, which could make the planned Jakarta meeting one of the most sparsely attended G-15 summits of developing nations.

AFP quoted the Zimbabwe's state-run Sunday Mail as reporting that Mugabe decided to cancel his attendance due to the death of Zimbabwe's Defense Minister Moven Mahachi in a car crash on Saturday.

Mahachi is one of the most senior ministers in the Zimbabwe cabinet, having been in government since the southern African country became independent in 1980.

Mugabe himself was due to leave for Jakarta on Sunday for the two-day summit which begins on Wednesday.

The latest cancellations means that there are only seven confirmations of attendance from heads of state or government. This includes Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid.

The G-15 comprises 19 member states -- Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

The foreign leaders due to attend are Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, Venezuela Hugo Chavez, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Egyptian Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and Jamaican Prime Minister James Patterson.

Barring further sudden cancellations, the last-mentioned leader is expected to be the first to arrive here, touching down at Sukarno-Hatta Airport on Monday.

The other leaders should arrive on Tuesday.

The arrival of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is also in doubt as there are reports he will be substituted by a senior ranking state official, expected to be the speaker of the parliament.

Most of the leaders are expected to return home on Friday with the Jamaican president due to be the last to leave on Sunday.

The other member states will be represented by high-ranking state officials.

Argentina will be represented by Vice President Mario Anibal Losada, Brazil by Vice President Marco Maciel, Colombia by Vice President Andres Pastrana Arango, India by Vice President Krishan Kant and Iran by Vice President Hasan Habibi.

While run-up events, such as a business expo and meeting of business leaders have already been in progress since Friday, the nitty-gritty formal talks ahead of the summit are expected to peak on Monday, with the convening of a Foreign Ministers' meeting.

The Foreign Ministers, along with personal representatives of the leaders, will be tweaking the final points to the joint communique and the first ever declaration issued in the group's 12-year history -- The Jakarta Declaration.

The Declaration is expected to highlight the G-15 leaders' commitment to close the digital divide between developing and developed countries, and promote the growth of information technology to overcome development problems.

The joint communique, due to be issued by the heads of delegation, is expected to express concern for the growing disparity in the information technology and communications field, along with other matters of concern to developing countries, such as multilateral trade and the World Trade Organization.

Skepticism among many circles here surrounding the G-15 summit centers on the fact that Indonesia itself is in a state of political turmoil as it hosts the international summit.

As the G-15 leaders convene on Wednesday at the Jakarta Hilton Convention Center, Indonesian legislators just a few hundred meters away will decide whether to call for a special session of the People's Consultative Assembly that could seal Abdurrahman's fate.

The situation not only provides a potential powder keg but also embarrassment for the embattled Abdurrahman.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab stated on Sunday, after attending the opening of a trade exhibition as part of the G-15 meeting, that many delegations had expressed concern about the situation, but he had assured them that the situation overall was normal.

Alwi claimed he had convinced foreign delegates that Indonesia was well-versed in overcoming conflict through consensus, so they should not be overly worried. (mds)