Megawati to appoint new Indonesian envoys
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
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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
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