RI offers Iranian quake victims aid

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has offered assistance to victims of the recent earthquake in Iran which claimed more than 550 lives.

The offer came yesterday during a meeting at Merdeka Palace between President Soeharto and visiting Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati. Also present was Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas.

"The President asked (Velayati) what Indonesia could do to help," Alatas told journalists. "Even before that, the President had instructed me to talk with relevant offices to find out what Indonesia could do to help the victims of the earthquake."

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale demolished 110 villages in Iran's Ardabil province. Over 2,400 were injured in the disaster.

The quake also left over 35,000 people homeless. Conditions have been worsened by freezing temperatures in the mountainous region.

Alatas would not elaborate on the kind of aid Indonesia could provide but said he had talked to other departments, namely the Ministry of Social Services, about the possibility of sending relief assistance.

Alatas added that Soeharto in his meeting with Velayati also expressed condolences and sympathy at the tragedy.

The main purpose of Velayati's call on Soeharto was to invite the President to attend the eighth summit of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) due to be held in Tehran on Dec. 7 to Dec. 11, 1997.

"The President said that Insya Allah (God willing) he would honor the invitation," Alatas remarked.

As head of the country with the world's biggest Moslem population, Soeharto's presence is highly anticipated during the summit, he said.

Indonesia's role in the Moslem grouping gained a higher profile when it hosted an OIC ministerial meeting in December.

During yesterday's talks, Soeharto reportedly asked what the main topics of the summit would be.

Velayati replied by saying that apart from the traditional issues facing the OIC, international economic cooperation would also be highlighted.

The response was welcomed by Indonesian, which during the December OIC ministerial meeting underlined the importance of economic cooperation, such as trade and investment, between member states.

Velayati will also be going to Brunei and Malaysia to convey similar invitations to the leaders of the two states. (mds)