Megawati: U.S. visit a success
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.