Habibie to meet Estrada in Batam

Habibie to meet Estrada in Batam

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie has dropped his planned
working visit to Malaysia this month and will instead meet with
Philippine President Joseph Estrada next week in Batam, Riau.

The change in plan has been because the President is currently
unable to leave the country, a minister hinted on Thursday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said the President
could not go to Malaysia because Indonesia currently has no vice
president, not because of her near neighbor's domestic situation.

"The visit to Batam is a domestic visit and will only last one
day, just like a trip to Surabaya and Medan. A trip to Kuala
Lumpur would be an official visit," Alatas said with a smile
after joining Habibie for a meeting with British State Minister
of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs John Fatchett at the Merdeka
Palace.

When a journalist asked why Alatas had smiled, he replied: "I
know you just want to provoke me because you know the (real)
answer".

Minister/State Secretary Akbar Tandjung announced last week
that Habibie had decided to drop his planned visit to Malaysia
due to his tight schedule at home.

In an interview last week with The Nation, a Thai daily
newspaper, Habibie said he was saddened by the arrest and beating
of his friend Anwar Ibrahim, the sacked Malaysian minister of
finance.

Habibie indicated that he might also be absent from the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Kuala Lumpur next
month. Estrada has expressed similar feelings.

Alatas said that Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong
would not attend the meeting, despite Batam's proximity to the
island state.

Estrada will go on from Batam to Singapore to address the
World Economic Forum. AP previously reported that the meeting
between Habibie and Estrada would take place in Singapore.

"It will be the first opportunity for the two presidents to
have a discussion," Alatas remarked.

Habibie had earlier complained over Singapore's cool response
to his appointment to the presidency, citing a late
congratulatory note from the island's leadership as the reason
for his ire.

Meanwhile, Fatchett said he has offered practical assistance
to help Indonesia hold a free and fair election next year.

"I discussed today both with President Habibie and separately
with the Independent Election Monitoring Committee what concrete
help we might be able to provide," he said.

He said Britain had an extensive experience in helping to
organize free and fair elections in other countries.

The practical assistance, he said, would include monitoring of
election registration and voting, and training people involved in
the election process in Indonesia.

In relation to the practical assistance, he said a human
rights workshop would be held in Jakarta on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29
which would bring together participants from all European Union
countries and a wide range of Indonesian officials and
institutions. (prb/bnt)