Megawati: U.S. visit a success

By Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Kornelius Purba

TOKYO (JP): President Megawati Soekarnoputri, describing her nine-day visit to the United States as a big success, was counting her blessings Wednesday aboard the Garuda Airbus 330 on her way from Seattle to Tokyo.

One of the blessings is President George W. Bush's administration's support for Indonesia's territorial integrity. Another is the U.S. agreement to resume military ties with the Indonesian Military (TNI).

Overall, she said, her meetings with U.S. political and business leaders, including President Bush himself, had yielded significant results encompassing the fields of politics, the economy, security, and the social and cultural fields.

"On security and the territorial integrity of Indonesia, the United States actively supports the unity of the republic. What is also positive is the military aspect. Past obstacles on the issue have been resolved," Megawati said, beaming with confidence.

Megawati also expressed her satisfaction with her meetings with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Horst Kohler, World Bank President James Wolfenshon, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill.

The meetings, she said, would pave the way for the next Paris Club meeting to discuss the rescheduling of Indonesia's foreign debt.

American enterprises operating in Indonesia also pledged to pay more attention to the welfare of local people and to improve their environmental management, she said.

When asked about the opposition of some Muslim groups in Indonesia to her visit to the U.S. shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, the President responded: "Terrorism should not viewed in a biased way. We ourselves experienced (terrorism) before my visit to the ASEAN countries (in August). It (terrorism) can happen anywhere and all countries have the willingness to eradicate it. We should not judge it from a narrow-minded perspective."

In anticipation of a possible global recession after the terrorist attacks, Megawati cited several possible measures, including debt-rescheduling with Indonesia's creditors and closer cooperation with international agencies to enable her government to deal with the worst case scenario.

"The international organizations will provide us with a (breathing) space to anticipate possible global economic changes," the President said.

The President and her entourage arrived at Haneda Airport on Wednesday evening. She is scheduled to stay here until Sunday morning during which time she will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Japanese corporate executives.

"Japan is one of the countries which strongly supports us," Megawati said referring to Japan's stance on Indonesia.

Megawati is staying at the Imperial Hotel during her Japanese, visit, the same hotel where her father, first president Sukarno, used to stay during his frequent visits to Japan.