Soeharto goes over fine details of Bogor meeting

BOGOR, West Java (JP): President Soeharto went thoroughly over the details of next week's APEC leadership meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace once again yesterday, checking on even the smallest details to ensure perfection.

Soeharto, in the company of First Lady Tien Soeharto and their two daughters, was at the palace yesterday to witness the dress rehearsal of the event and to inspect some of the facilities as well. They stayed for around 45 minutes.

The APEC Economic Leaders Meeting is slated for next Tuesday.

Although the meeting has been dubbed "unofficial", which is why it is to be held some distance from the hustle and bustle of Jakarta, the organizers are doing their best to make sure that there will be no hitches.

Yesterday's dress rehearsal was the second practice session.

Soeharto, as the forum's chairman, will play host to the 17 other APEC leaders, including U.S. President Bill Clinton, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Japanese Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama. The meeting itself is scheduled to last for eight hours. At the end of the conference, Soeharto will read a declaration, which is expected to set the course of APEC's future.

The dress rehearsal yesterday was overseen by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono, who is chairing the national committee to prepare the leadership meeting.

Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications Joop Ave was also on hand to check on the telecommunications facilities at the press center now being set up within the palace compound. He also inspected the appearance of the palace and its surroundings.

During his inspection visit, Soeharto meticulously followed the sequences of the dress rehearsal of the meeting.

He also occupied his seat among the 18 chairs placed in the Garuda Hall where the leadership meeting will be convened.

His seat, at the center of the 18 chairs, is flanked by chairs marked Amerika (America) and Jepang (Japan), which means he will be flanked by Clinton and Murayama during the meeting next Tuesday. The rest of the seats have been positioned in alphabetical order.

Officials explained that Soeharto's place between the leaders of the world's two most powerful economies was more by accident than by design. Clinton was the previous APEC chairman and hosted the first APEC leadership meeting in Seattle last year, while Murayama will be the next APEC chairman after Soeharto, beginning on Jan. 1.

Soeharto yesterday tested the translation earphone at his seat, and showing his satisfaction, turned to his staff. "Make sure that all the gadgets are switched to their respective languages."

He then went to the stage built outside the hall where, as the schedule goes, all the leaders will pose together for a press photo session for several minutes next Tuesday before returning to the hall to hold their meeting.

The same stage will also be used for the brief media conference scheduled after the end of the meeting. There's a five meter gap separating the stage and the area where the journalists will stand.

The President is scheduled to read out a declaration from this stage before taking questions from journalists.

Soeharto yesterday also made a point of testing the sound system at the stage.

It was a make-believe situation.

A Japanese reporter pretended to ask a question on the result of the meeting in English, which was then translated into Bahasa Indonesia for the president by his interpreter.

After a pause, the president raise his right thumb and quipped in English, "All right".

The president then went to the library where according to the schedule the APEC's leaders will take a rest for a while before having lunch in a nearby room.

Soeharto also took a brief tour of the palace's scenic compound because the schedule also says that the APEC leaders will take a stroll after lunch.

He stopped at a point where the adjacent Botanical Garden is clearly visible.

Then he posed a question, which he anticipated some of his guests might ask. "What is the age of the garden?" he asked the reporters following him.

"It was built in 1743, Sir," came the reply from a Kompas reporter.

"1743?" the president asked, looking in her direction.

The reporter opened a book about Indonesian palaces. "Yes, Sir; 1743, according to this book," she said.

"And the palace?" asked the president.

"One year after that. Its construction started in 1744 and finished in 1745. The construction was done under the orders of Governor General Baron van Imhof." (jsk)