Megawati off to Shanghai for APEC summit

Megawati off to Shanghai for APEC summit

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is scheduled to leave for
Shanghai, China, on Wednesday to attend an annual Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the palace announced on
Tuesday.

In her entourage are Coordinating Minister for the Economy
Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
Wirayuda, State/Cabinet Secretary Bambang Kesowo, legislators
Ibrahim Ambong and Amris Hasan, military secretary Maj. Gen. Tb.
Hasanuddin, presidential secretary Kemal Munawar and the foreign
ministry's Director General for Foreign Economic Relations
Makarim Wibisono.

From Jakarta, Megawati will stop over in Batam, Riau, to
inaugurate a low-cost apartment building built by the manpower
ministry before flying to Hong Kong in the afternoon.

During her one-night transit in Hong Kong, Megawati will take
time to familiarize herself with issues to be discussed at the
summit, which will be attended by top world leaders, including
U.S. President George W. Bush, Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi and Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Megawati will fly to Shanghai on Oct. 19 and will have talks
with a number of heads of state and government -- including
Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Peruvian President Alejandro
Toledo and Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong -- before she
meets with the Indonesian community in Shanghai later in the day.

Prior to the APEC summit on Saturday, Megawati is scheduled to
meet with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, South Korean
President Kim Dae-Jung and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen
Clark.

The meeting of 21 leaders of APEC member countries -- the
first major summit to be held after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks on the U.S. -- is expected to produce a joint declaration
condemning terrorism, to toughen controls on terrorists' funds
and to safeguard oil supplies for contingency plans, according to
a declaration draft.

The draft was being discussed informally by senior officials
of the APEC members in Shanghai on Tuesday before being submitted
to ministers and leaders of the economic grouping.

APEC ministers will likely discuss whether to issue the
declaration as a separate statement or as part of their annual
communique, like what happened in 1999 when East Timor -- a
former Indonesian province whose annexation was not recognized by
the United Nations -- was plunged into violence after the East
Timorese voted for independence, delegates said.

According to the palace's announcement, a colorful fireworks
display awaits the APEC leaders at the end of their first day of
the two-day summit.

The second day will see the world leaders go on a retreat on
the outskirts of Shanghai before announcing the declaration to be
followed by a media briefing by host President Jiang.

Megawati is scheduled to return to Jakarta on Oct. 22, landing
at 2 p.m. at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport.(dja)