Soeharto goes over fine details of Bogor meeting

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)