Reformists meeting canceled due to technical reasons

Reformists meeting canceled due to technical reasons

JAKARTA (JP): The officially scheduled dialogue between
President Abdurrahman Wahid and the country's three top leaders
on Thursday was canceled due to technical reasons.

President Secretary Djoko Mulyono officially scheduled the
President to attend the talk show at 8 p.m., which was organized
by Antara news agency, at Wisma Antara building on Jl. Merdeka
Selatan, Central Jakarta.

Also invited were Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais, and House of
Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

Except for Akbar, the country's top figures were known as
reform leaders prior to the fall of former president Soeharto in
1998.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab played down the
cancellation, saying the four leaders just preferred a closed
door meeting.

"They felt the dialogue would be more effective without a
mediator," Alwi said after meeting with the President at the
Merdeka Palace.

Alwi flatly denied that the meeting could not be held due to
the worsening relations among the leaders, particularly between
Abdurrahman, popularly called Gus Dur, and Amien.

"There is no conflict between Pak Amien and Gus Dur. Insya
Allah (God willing), they will meet within the next two days,"
Alwi remarked.

There was no explanation from the three figures about their
absence. According to her official schedule, the Vice President
on Thursday evening was slated to meet with Minister of Mines and
Energy Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at her official residence.

Called "Ciganjur Meeting II", the upcoming meeting was
supposed to emulate the first get-together held at Abdurrahman's
private residence in the South Jakarta suburb of Ciganjur in
November last year.

The first Ciganjur meeting, which was also attended by
Yogyakarta monarch Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, resulted in the
group's call on then president B.J. Habibie to resign.

Abdurrahman succeeded Habibie at the expense of Megawati in
last October's presidential election.

"It is not impossible that the meeting will be held again,"
Alwi said. (prb)