Israel, Portugal may come to archery meet

Israel, Portugal may come to archery meet

JAKARTA (JP): Israel and Portugal, with which Indonesia has no
diplomatic ties, appear set to take part in the 38th World
Outdoor Archery Championships here, but the government is still
deliberating on the precise nature of the two countries'
participation.

Oetojo Oesman, the chairman of the organizing committee, said:
"We are holding the championships for the World Archery Body FITA
and consequently, we will comply with its rules and regulations."

Oetojo, who is also Minister of Justice, said that FITA
requires all its member countries, including Israel and Portugal,
to take part in the Jakarta meet.

The Aug. 1-6 event will serve as the first qualifying round
for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and its results account for 60
percent of the Olympic entry requirements.

For Portugal and Israel, however, participating in the Jakarta
meet is not something that can be taken for granted, even though
they have confirmed their participation and returned the
preliminary forms, as confirmed to The Jakarta Post by an
assistant to the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Imam
Sujudi, on Friday.

Asked when the teams from the two countries could come, Oetojo
told the Post yesterday that "it will still take us some time
before we eventually decide on this matter."

He added that, for the two countries in particular, there were
"procedures which must be followed." He declined to give further
details.

It seems that the organizer has to wait for approval or
"clearance" from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Armed
Forces's Intelligence Agency, said a source who requested
anonymity.

The source also said that foreign journalists who want to
cover the world event must be approved by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the Ministry of Information and the Armed Forces'
Intelligence Agency.

"One day before the judges' conference on Friday, I'm sure
there will be confirmation on whether delegates from the two
countries can come or not," the source said.

President Soeharto is scheduled to open the world
championships on Aug. 1 and Vice President Try Sutrisno is
scheduled to close the event on Aug. 6 at the ABC field in
Senayan.

As of yesterday evening, teams from South Korea, Britain,
Belgium, Ireland, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Ukraine and Cuba have
arrived in Jakarta. (arf)