Soeharto in New York for UN anniversary
By Rikza Abdullah
NEW YORK (JP): President Soeharto arrived here Friday night to attend this week's celebrations of the United Nations' 50th anniversary, and to meet with a number of world leaders.
Although no longer the leader of the 113-nation Non-Aligned Movement, Soeharto is expected to pursue diplomatic avenues to find a settlement to the Middle East conflict, a close aide said.
He is scheduled to meet with a top leader in the Middle East dispute on Sunday, according to the aide, who refused to give the leader's name.
The meeting will be held at the Waldorf Towers hotel, where President Soeharto is staying for the next seven days.
Soeharto met Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam last week at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Cartagena, Colombia. Syria is also a key player in the Middle East conflict.
Khaddam sought Indonesia's support in Syria's struggle to regain land from Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who is also scheduled to attend the UN's golden anniversary celebrations, made a quick unannounced visit to Jakarta in 1992, to meet with the President, just after Soeharto was elected NAM chairman.
Indonesia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has supported the Arabs and Palestinians in the Middle East.
Officials said that for three days beginning Sunday, President Soeharto is expected to meet with at least 12 leaders on the sidelines of the three-day special commemorative meeting of the UN's General Assembly.
Among the foreign leaders Soeharto will meet are Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandanaraike Kumaratunga, Liberian President Wilton S. Sankawulo, Polish Prime Minister Yoweri Museveni, Tajikistan President Emomali S. Rahmanov, Bulgarian President Zhelyu Zhelev, Thai Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-Archa, Dutch Prime Minister W. Kok, Acting President of Macedonia Stojan Andov and Rumanian President Ion Iliescu.
On Oct. 26, Soeharto will make the short hop to Washington, and will meet U.S. President Bill Clinton in the White House the following day, the official said.
Also today, President Soeharto will preside over a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement's caucus at the United Nations General Council. The Indonesian leader is scheduled to address the UN Assembly on Monday afternoon.
He will present a statement on population stabilization to UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the Trusteeship Council Chamber, on Wednesday Oct. 25, the day the world body celebrates its 50th anniversary.
The UN Information Center in Jakarta said that the statement, signed by 75 heads of government, is a pledge to balance population growth and resources.
Those signing the statement represent 3.9 billion people, or 68 percent of the world's population.
They maintain that achieving population stabilization is a "world-wide necessity" and that the time has come "for each country to adopt the necessary policies and programs to do so, consistent with its own culture and aspirations."
A comparable statement was initiated in 1966 by John D. Rockefeller III of the United States and was presented to the UN Secretary General U Thant on Human Rights Day. At that time, 12 heads of government signed the statement.
In 1985, a revised statement on population stabilization signed by 40 heads of government was presented by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi of India on the 40th anniversary of the United Nations.
The current statement was initiated by the Population Communication organization, in collaboration with the Global Committee of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and with the Population Institute.