Kofi Annan to visit Indonesia, E. Timor

Kofi Annan to visit Indonesia, E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is
due to visit Indonesia and East Timor in mid-February as part of
an Asia Pacific tour.

Annan will arrive here on Feb. 15 and is scheduled to meet
with President Abdurrahman Wahid, Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri and Cabinet ministers during a three-day stay.

He will fly to Dili, East Timor, on Feb. 17 to visit the UN
peacekeeping mission, the UN Information Office in Jakarta said
in a statement on Thursday.

The visit is part of Annan's tour of Asia Pacific countries
following his visit to the 10th session of the UN Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Bangkok and a brief stopover in
Singapore.

The tour also includes Australia and New Zealand.

A 9,000-strong UN force is scheduled take over from the
Australian-led International Force for East Timor in February.

AP quoted UN spokesman Fred Eckhard in New York as saying that
said he did not know whether the transfer would take place during
Annan's visit to Dili.

Reports out of the UN said Annan and his staff this week began
reviewing a report by a UN special commission investigating
alleged human rights violations in East Timor.

While the secretary-general has not made a decision on the
matter, which could involve an international tribunal trying
Indonesian officers, it is likely to be a priority in discussions
with Abdurrahman. (mds)