PBR leaders bury hatchet

PBR leaders bury hatchet

JAKARTA: The internal dispute within the Reform Star Party
(PBR) has ended after rival leaders Zainuddin MZ and Zaenal
Ma'arif agreed to reconcile and form a new board of executives
approved by the two camps.

Mediator of the reconciliation, Aksa Mahmud, said on Monday
that a meeting he hosted on Sunday at his official residence
resulted in an deal to name three representatives from each camp
to select the party executives, hopefully within a week.

The two factions also recognized the results of PBR congress
early this year, which reelected Zainuddin the party leader for
2005-2010 period. Zainuddin's reelection was the source of the
conflict, with Zaenal, who lost in the race, accusing Zainuddin
of vote buying.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who is Golkar Party leader, had
offered himself to mediate between the disputing camps and hosted
two rounds of peace talks on July 3 and July 10, before he
delegated the job to Aksa, who is also a Golkar member. -- Antara