Megawati to appoint new Indonesian envoys
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono has been named as ambassador to London, however the names of envoys to several important posts such as Canberra, Moscow and Stockholm are still being withheld.
Juwono is among 10 ambassadors to be sworn in by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday, after their placement was approved by the designated countries, a source at the presidential office told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The ceremony will take place at the State Palace.
"So far, we have received letters of agreement from 10 countries," the official said.
The foreign ministry has completed the selection process of 19 ambassadorial candidates. The House of Representatives has given its support for the candidates, but demanded that the appointees for the designated countries be switched. Many have criticized the House's intervention.
According to the amended 1945 Constitution, the president, despite his or her prerogative to appoint ambassadors, is required to consult the House beforehand.
The palace official said the remaining nine ambassadorial candidates might be installed after the President returns from her 10-day overseas trip, slated to begin on June 17.
It was not immediately clear whether the ambassadorial candidates to Canberra, Moscow and Stockholm would be among the next batch.
Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa said the ongoing diplomatic row with Sweden may affect the appointment of an Indonesian ambassador to Stockholm.
Currently, the post is empty as the last ambassador Cahyono had left the post early this year and the government is processing his replacement.
Relations between Indonesia and Sweden have been put to the test after Stockholm refused to take action against Swedish citizens who are leading the rebellion in Aceh in exile.
A delegation from Jakarta is in Stockholm to convince the Swedish government to take legal action against Free Aceh Movement (GAM) leaders -- Hasan Tiro, Zaini Abdullah and Malik Mahmood -- who currently reside in the Scandinavian country.
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NAME DESIGNATION COUNTRY ----------------------------------------------------------------
Juwono Sudarsono United Kingdom
Slamet Hidayat Singapore
Abdullah Syarwani Lebanon
Setyanto Pudjowarsito Columbia
Indratjahya Sempurnajaya Cuba
Sukarni Sikar Syria
Basri Hassanudin Iran
Faisal Bafadal United Arab Emirates
Ribhan Abdul Wahab Jordan
Cornelius Manoppo Venezuela ----------------------------------------------------------------