Habibie to meet Estrada today

Habibie to meet Estrada today

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie and Philippine President
Joseph Estrada will hold their first informal summit on Tuesday
afternoon on Batam island in Riau province, a palace official
said on Monday

Estrada will cross to Batam from Singapore by ferry after
delivering a keynote address at the East Asia Economic Summit
sponsored by the World Economic Forum, said the palace official,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The palace did not release an official statement on the
meeting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas indicated last week the
two leaders would use the opportunity to exchange views on
various issues including bilateral, regional and international
affairs.

Estrada may also brief Habibie on his meeting with Singapore's
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on Monday, an official said last
week.

Habibie has complained over Singapore's cool reception when he
replaced Soeharto in May and its reluctance to fully disburse its
US$5 billion loan pledge to Indonesia.

Both Estrada, who came to power in June, and Habibie have
declared they are friends of Malaysian fired deputy prime
minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Estrada has threatened to boycott the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) summit in Malaysia next month as a
demonstration of his solidarity with Anwar.

Habibie canceled his planned visit to Kuala Lumpur this month,
saying he was too busy dealing with domestic affairs. (prb)