Megawati to attend Brunei royal wedding, ASEM summit

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri is slated to attend the royal wedding of Brunei Darussalam Crown Prince Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah next week, a minister said on Friday.

Upon invitation of Sultan Halssanah Bolkiah, Megawati will leave for Bandar Sri Begawan on Sept. 8 evening, and return home the next day.

"The purpose of the visit is just to attend the wedding. There is no schedule for an official meeting or discussion during the trip," Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said after a meeting with the President at the State Palace.

The Brunei's Crown Prince is marrying Sarah Saleh. Leaders of fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries have been invited to the wedding.

Megawati has also intended to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Hanoi on Oct. 8.

Hassan said there was a possibility that the President would join the summit, although it will commence just a few days before the official announcement of the presidential election runoff results here.

Megawati is facing her former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Sept. 20 election runoff.

Various surveys have predicted a victory for Susilo, who resigned from Megawati's cabinet early this year after being alienated from decision making of key security issues.

Among the important topics of discussion in the summit include the possible increase in the number of participants of ASEM both from Asian and European continents.

The 10 new European Union (EU) members are likely to join ASEM, while Asian has proposed three new members: Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Myanmar's possible inclusion in ASEM will be the contentious issue in the summit, as the EU has expressed concerns over the house arrest of pro-democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the military.