Megawati flies to Mexico on Tuesday

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In the aftermath of the Bali bombing, President Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated to leave on Tuesday to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Mexico.

Officials from the President's office said on Monday that Megawati would leave on Tuesday at midnight, making a stop in Greece for around nine hours before continuing the journey to Mexico.

"The President will return to Indonesia on Oct. 28 after the summit is over," the official said.

The trip was originally planned for 16 days, as Megawati was to conduct a state visit to Cuba before the summit and attend the G-15 in Venezuela and a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) in Cambodia afterwards.

However after the Bali attack on Oct. 12, Megawati cut short the planned trip to attend the ASEAN summit and will leave Jakarta on Nov. 3.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said that Megawati could not miss the APEC Summit as Indonesia needed all the support it could garner after the Bali attack.

"There will be two retreats during the summit, the first one to discuss the counter terrorism issue and the second to discuss economic efforts in the current global market," Hassan said.

Megawati will also host a luncheon of the ASEAN member countries as the current ASEAN chair, Cambodia, is not a member of APEC, Hassan said.

The summit will be the first event in which Megawati will meet with international leaders after the Bali attack, which claimed more than 185 lives.

Analysts said this would be a good opportunity for Megawati to speak directly to the world about what happened in Bali.

Major changes also occurred in the number of the President's entourage. An official at the State Palace told The Jakarta Post that as of Monday Megawati's husband Taufik Kiemas and daughter Puan Maharani were not included in the trip.

The President will also only take two legislators and two out of four presidential adjutants on this trip.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro- Jakti, Minister of Trade and Industry Rini Suwandi and Hassan are the three ministers who will accompany the President.

Megawati was criticized for the huge numbers in her entourages following her recent overseas trips, and State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo promised that such large groups would be reduced.