Qaddafi's son to visit Indonesia

Qaddafi's son to visit Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Seif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, the second son of Libyan president
Moammar Qaddafi, will meet with President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and a number of ministers
during a three-day visit here, an official at the Embassy of
Libya in Jakarta said.

Seif Qaddafi will arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

Nur Saadah, the embassy secretary, did not provide Qaddafi's
schedule for the visit, as times and places were still tentative.

"It will be a short visit. His schedule is tentative and will
likely depend on the schedule of Indonesian officials," she said.

Seif Qaddafi chairs the al-Qaddafi International Association
for Charitable Organizations, which is tasked with softening the
image of Libya and returning it to mainstream international
recognition.

Qaddafi will be the first North African envoy to visit Susilo
since he became president. Libyan-Indonesian relations date back
to the 1950s, when founding president Sukarno visited the Libyan
capital of Tripoli.

Last year, then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri, Sukarno's
daughter, met Moammar Qaddafi in Tripoli shortly after the United
Nations lifted on Sept. 12 its economic sanctions against Libya,
which had been in place for 15 years.

During the meeting, the two countries agreed to enhance
economic cooperation through a countertrade agreement.

Under the deal, Libya will deliver 5,000 barrels of crude oil
a day for Indonesian commodities like building materials,
textiles, furniture and military equipment. The crude oil has a
monthly value of about US$40 million, with delivery starting
early this year.

In exchange, Libya will purchase military-issue accessories,
such as shoes, caps and belts. They have also ordered three
patrol boats from state shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia and are
considering buying a Puma helicopter, an NBO helicopter and a CN-
235 aircraft.

Libya has also asked for Indonesia's assistance in its
construction sector, as it was boosting development projects
after the sanctions were scrapped.

It has also shown interest toward investing in Indonesia's
state enterprises, such as fertilizer producer Petrokimia Gresik,
and in the tourism sector.

The UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions on Libya
after the 1988 bombing of now-defunct U.S. carrier Pan Am flight
103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. A Libyan intelligence agent is
serving life in a Scottish prison for the bombing, while a second
was acquitted.

Indonesia opened in 2002 a separate embassy in Tripoli, in
addition to its embassy in Tunis.