King Hussein flies Soeharto on chopper

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto wound up his visit to Jordan yesterday on a personal high note: he was flown from the palace to the airport in Amman in a chopper piloted by King Hussein, his host for the last four days, TVRI reported.

Joining in on the 15-minute chopper ride were Soeharto's two daughters, the state television said.

The two leaders appeared to have struck a very cordial relationship at the end of the visit.

Soeharto yesterday presented the Jordan king with a birthday gift: Two Indonesian-made assault weapons: one long barrel and one short, both made by the Army-owned PT Pindad.

King Hussein is an avid gun collector and shooting is one of his favorite pastimes, TVRI said.

Soeharto used the Jordan visit to voice strong support for Arab nations and the creation of Palestinian state, AFP reported.

He discussed with King Hussein the development of bilateral relations and the situation in the Middle East region, particularly the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Soeharto called for the creation of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and said he supported Arab countries in "their struggle to regain the territories occupied by other parties."

The two countries signed a report by a joint economic committee which aims to develop trade links, while Indonesia expressed its desire to boost imports of Jordanian potassium and phosphate to 250,000 tons a year.

The President proceeded to Rome, the second and last stop on his overseas trip, to take part in the World Food Summit.

There was no stately reception to greet him when he arrived at the Rome airport after a four-hour flight on board the special Garuda Indonesia plane.

Today, the Indonesian leader is slated to address the summit, which enters its third day. He is expected to explain the Indonesian experience in attaining food self sufficiency while at the same time helping the lot of poor farmers.

Officials said President Soeharto will pay a courtesy call on his Italian counterpart and hold bilateral meetings with a number of leaders taking part in the summit. (emb)