Polish president to arrive today, expected to improve ties with RI
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski is slated to arrive here on Tuesday for a three-day state visit accompanied by a group of businessman to improve trade ties between the two countries.
The President is expected to hold bilateral talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri soon after he arrives at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport from Singapore.
The visit is aimed at paving the way for cooperation between state-owned companies of the two countries in the fields of aviation, telecommunications and ship-building.
Kwasniewski is to witness the signing of at least four Memorandums of Understanding on the second day of his visit.
Polish Ambassador to Indonesia Krysztof Szumski said 14 Polish businessmen were here with the president. They will hold talks with Indonesian businesspeople in an economic forum.
Poland imports goods worth US$250 million from Indonesia and exports to Indonesia are valued at US$17.2million.
During the visit, Kwasniewski will pay a courtesy call to People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.
The President will also visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and tour the pavilions of Central Java, West Sumatra and South Sulawesi. He will be leaving for Bangkok on Feb. 26, the last leg of his Southeast Asia tour.
Meanwhile, Megawati canceled her plan to attend the G-15 summit in Venezuela, a presidential staff member told journalists on Monday.
No official announcement was made, but the busy domestic schedule ahead of the April 5 legislative elections was cited as the reason for the cancellation. Megawati is also head of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). The campaign period will start on March 11.
Foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda will be representing Indonesia in the summit.
In a related development, Libyan President Moammar Khadafy has also canceled his state visit to Indonesia.
A foreign ministry official told The Jakarta Post on Monday that Khadafy had to attend another meeting in the region.