Megawati in Hanoi to seal sea border deal
Megawati in Hanoi to seal sea border deal
Agencies, Hanoi
President Megawati Soekarnoputri arrived on Wednesday in Hanoi to
begin her three-day visit during which an agreement on the
maritime boundary between the two countries will be signed.
The President landed at Noi Bai international airport at
around 3.00 pm and will be officially welcomed during an official
ceremony on Thursday, an official from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs told Agence France Presse.
Megawati is due to meet with President Tran Duc Luong, Prime
minister Phan Van Khai and the secretary-general of the Communist
Party Nong Duc Manh.
Two agreements are expected to be signed -- one will allow
visa exemptions for holders of ordinary passports and the other
will delineate the maritime boundary between the two countries.
The signing of the agreement on the maritime boundary in the
South China Sea will mark the completion of 25-year-long
negotiations that began in 1978 between the two countries to
settle their sea boundaries.
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda earlier
said that the prolonged negotiations to settle the borders were
due to the awareness of both sides regarding possible oil
reserves in the border areas, which are estimated to contain some
2.8 million barrels of reserves.
Following the signing of the boundary agreement, Indonesia
will then proceed with its plan to exploit oil and gas resources
in the waters around the Natuna islands in Riau.
It was reported earlier that the two countries were also
slated to work on a coffee export regulation agreement to prop up
coffee prices on the international market as the two countries
are among the world's largest coffee exporters.
Besides Hanoi, Megawati is scheduled to go to Ho Chi Minh
city, where she will visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
Indonesia and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in
1955.
President Megawati already visited Vietnam in 2001.
Vietnam is the last leg of Megawati's 10-days overseas trip
after Bangladesh, Mongolia and Japan. The trip was mostly
intended to secure economic support for the country.
Before leaving Tokyo on Wednesday, Megawati met with Emperor
Akihito and Empress Michiko, who called on Megawati and her
husband at the state guest house.
In a press conference before leaving Tokyo, Megawati said that
Japan had pledged financial support for Indonesia after it
graduated from the tutelage of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) later this year.
However, the President said that she had not yet decided on
which option to pursue after the country ended its contract with
the IMF ended.
"We have yet to reach a final decision on what kind of
economic program we will adopt to maintain financial stability
after leaving the IMF," the President said as quoted by Antara.
Megawati further said that the government had to ensure that
whatever was decided would not disrupt the country's economic
stability.