Gus Dur unsure of meeting Clinton

Gus Dur unsure of meeting Clinton

By Kornelius Purba

YANGON, Myanmar (JP): President Abudurrahman Wahid may be
forced to postpone his meeting with U.S. President Bill Clinton
this week due to the latter's tight schedule.

Abdurrahman, familiarly known as Gus Dur, said he was eager to
meet with Clinton in Washington as scheduled on Thursday during
his visit to the U.S. to undergo medical treatment for his
impaired vision in Salt Lake City, Utah.

"There is no problem with it because my main purpose is to go
to Salt Lake City to have glasses made to enable me to see
again," the President said in a media briefing after meeting with
Myanmar's State Peace and Development (SPDC) Senior Gen. Than
Shwe at Sein-Le-Kantha State Guest House.

The President, who arrived here on Sunday morning from Kuala
Lumpur for a six-hour working visit, expressed his readiness to
meet with Clinton in Washington if they could arrange a
convenient time. He said he wanted to brief the U.S. president on
his government's plans for the economy and other sectors.

He said he wanted to convey his expectations that the Clinton
administration would continue its commitment to Indonesia through
bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

Abdurrahman said he would await final confirmation from
Clinton on Monday morning.

"If we can meet, it is good, but if we cannot do it this time,
there's no problem. We can meet sometime in the future," the
President said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab, who is part of the
President's delegation on a four-day tour to the member states of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), disclosed the
President would return to Jakarta on Tuesday from the Philippines
and depart for Salt Lake City on Thursday.

He did not disclose if the President would continue with his
plan to make a stopover in Tokyo on his way home from the U.S.

Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi is slated to visit
Jakarta on Nov. 26 before attending the ASEAN informal summit in
Manila two days later.

Abdurrahman announced a plan to meet with Clinton before
leaving Jakarta on Saturday for a whirlwind tour of eight ASEAN
countries.

He reiterated the plan again when addressing an international
business forum in Singapore on Saturday.

"Our relations do not merely depend on a meeting," Abdurrahman
said in reference to the uncertainty about the meeting with
Clinton.

The President also failed to meet with Myanmar opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but he said a meeting would not have
exerted significant impact on her struggle.

The President said he told his hosts during their bilateral
talks that he would meet with Suu Kyi only with the approval of
Myanmar's leaders.

The President said he respected both Suu Kyi and Than Shwe and
he would not interfere in Myanmar's domestic affairs. He
emphasized that Indonesia respected country's choice of a
political system.

"I did intend to meet with Aung San Suu Kyi but, as I had said
before, that all depended on Myanmar's government."

He reiterated his commitment to strengthen democracy and
openness in Indonesia, but quickly added that his government
would never try to impose the same spirit on other countries,
including ASEAN members.

"Indonesia will not impose its own choices on other people,"
he said.

Hundreds of students from elementary to senior high schools
lined the highway from Yangon International Airport to the State
Guest House to welcome President Abdurrahman and his entourage.

They waved the national flags of the two countries and some
sang Indonesian songs. They did the same when Abdurrahman and his
delegation returned to the airport.

"This was a copy of welcoming ceremonies for foreign state
guests in our country in the 1970s," commented an Indonesian
official.

Some Indonesian officials privately expressed their annoyance
at the delegation's reception in Malaysia.

They were miffed at the New Sunday Times daily's headline
about Malaysia's commitment of about US$200 million in a rice
loan to Indonesia.

Citing the statement of Malaysian foreign minister Syed Hamid
Albar, the daily's headline read: Gus Dur requests another RM760
million.

"It is not a problem, why should we make a fuss out of it,"
the President said about the report.

Alwi added that Indonesians should accept the reality that
their country was poor.

Abdurrahman said he agreed to a request for a meeting from
leaders of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) during his visit to Kuala
Lumpur. He said they did not turn up for the meeting.

Meanwhile, the President met with Thai Prime Minister Chuan
Leekpai in Bangkok to discuss bilateral matters and preparations
for the ASEAN summit.

On Monday morning, the President and his entourage will depart
for Vientiane to meet with Laotian President Khamtay Siphandone.
After the six-hour visit, he will fly to Cambodia for a one-night
stay.

He is scheduled to meet King Norodom Sihanouk and Prime
Minister Hun Sen.

He will depart for Hanoi on Tuesday to meet President Tran Duc
Luong and Prime Minister Van Khai. In the afternoon he will
embark for Manila where he is scheduled to meet President Joseph
Estrada. He will return home the same day.