Jakarta prepared for IPU meeting

JAKARTA (JP): The capital is set to host the 104th conference of the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) and all of the detailed preparations have been concluded ahead of the Oct. 15-21 meeting, an official said.

Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said the Jakarta administration with the help of the police would do its best to create a favorable security environment here to welcome and serve all of the participants from the union's 139 countries.

"We hope that some 1,700 to 2,000 parliamentarians will see Jakarta as a safe place and that the situation here is not as bad as the images reported over the last few weeks," Kahfi told reporters on Friday after attending a meeting at his office on the preparations for the meeting with officials from the other agencies involved.

"Hopefully, after their visit here the participants in the upcoming meeting will inform people in their respective countries that the Indonesian capital is a good place," he added.

Organized by the House of Representatives, the 11-day IPU conference is to be held at the Jakarta Convention Center in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Kahfi said most of the activities for the conference participants would be arranged and financed by the House.

The city administration has only been assigned to help beautify the capital, including the erection of decorative street lights and welcoming banners.

The city administration will also host a Betawi-style dinner for the participants on Oct. 20, he said. (dja)