President Abdurrahman accepts Yogyakarta Sultan's invitation

JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid is scheduled to visit Yogyakarta on Aug. 1 in acceptance of the invitation of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who will celebrate his 56th birthday, in order to hold a national dialog with other members of the political elite.

Foreign minister Alwi Shihab, known as a close confidante of Abdurrahman, confirmed on Thursday here that the President welcomed the invitation, even though it was delivered by phone.

"It shouldn't have to be a formal invitation. A telephone call is enough," Alwi quoted Abdurrahman as telling journalists before headed back to Bangkok to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Other close aides of the president also confirmed to journalists that Abdurrahman was not scheduled to attend other event on the date.

Previously, House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung and People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais had confirmed their participation and asked that some other national leaders be invited to the meeting.

Hamengkubowono, however, dismissed on Thursday the possibility of a wider gathering, saying he had invited only the four leaders.

He reiterated that he would not invite any political leaders other than Abdurrahman, Amien, Akbar and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"This will be an informal discussion. We all just friends, who know each other very well. It will become a political ball game if I invite other (political) leaders," he said in Yogyakarta.

Hamengkubuwono was responding to journalists' questions as to whether he would invite the chairman of the United Development Party Hamzah Haz as suggested by Amien.

"There is no special political agenda the meeting, other than discussing the country's lingering problems," the Sultan said.

He asserted that he would be (politically) neutral at the meeting.

Also in Yogyakarta, political observer Ichlasul Amal said that the meeting would be effective in reducing the current political tension ahead of the People's Consultative Assembly's Annual Session which is scheduled from Aug. 7 to Aug. 18.

"The meeting should assure the people that the (political) differences between them will not be blown out of proportion. They are still able to sit together at the (planned) meeting."

However, people's expectations of the meeting should not be too high, he added. (dja/44)