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)