President Abdurrahman accepts Yogyakarta Sultan's invitation
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)