Megawati to attend Brunei royal wedding, ASEM summit

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.