S. Sulawesi people wait for Habibie

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi: People here are enthusiastically awaiting Thursday's visit of President B.J. Habibie, particularly those in his hometown of Pare-pare.

"It is quite an honor for us," Agus, a vendor here said.

During his two-day visit the President is expected to officiate at a number of projects, which have an estimated value of Rp 770 billion. The projects include the Bili-bili dam in Gowa regency, the highway Jl. Tol Reformasi from Ujungpandang to Mandai, and the terminal at the Soekarno Hatta port.

The trip was earlier scheduled to be part of a visit to Kalimantan and Maluku, but security reasons led to the cancellation of the visit to the latter province.

Antara reported that Habibie is scheduled to hold talks with Kuwait's crown prince, Sheikh Ali Jabbar El Sabah, on Thursday night in Ujungpandang before leaving for Pare-pare.

"The president and his entourage are expected to arrive here on Thursday evening and he is scheduled to meet with the Kuwaiti crown prince, local public figures and ulema," South Sulawesi Governor Palaguna said on Wednesday. (27)