RI offers Iranian quake victims aid

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)