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)