Soeharto, Li Peng assure smooth transfer
Soeharto, Li Peng assure smooth transfer
By Rikza Abdullah
COPENHAGEN (JP): President Soeharto and Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng assured on Saturday that national leadership succession in their countries would be smooth given the existing constitutional mechanisms.
"We have a national leadership mechanism to guarantee the institutionalization of presidential succession," Soeharto told Li in a meeting on Saturday at the United Nations' two-day World Summit for Social Development.
Besides Li, Soeharto also held meetings with Azerbaijan President Heydar Alirza Ogly Aliyev, Madagascar Prime Minister Fransisque Ravony, Sudan President Omar Hassan Ahmed El Bashir, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Mauritanian Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar and Colombian President Ernesto Samper Pizano.
"Under the Constitution of 1945, we have held presidential elections several times and the mechanisms for leadership succession have run smoothly," Soeharto was quoted by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono as saying.
He acknowledged, however, that the People's Consultative Assembly had elected the same person at each of its five-yearly meetings since the latter half of the 1970s.
According to Moerdiono, Soeharto's discussion of leadership succession in Indonesia was prompted by Li and his information on the health of China's leader Deng Xiaoping.
Li said that Deng's health was improving and that the succession of leadership in China would also run smoothly.
Discussing the Spratly Islands, both Soeharto and Li agreed that diplomatic negotiations were the best way to solve disputes over the islands.
The Spratlys are claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
In the meeting with Colombian President Ernesto, Soeharto said that he is ready to transfer his chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to Ernesto at its 11th summit meeting in October in Cartagena.
Soeharto has been chairman of the movement since its Jakarta summit in September 1992.
"President Soeharto promised Indonesia's cooperation to ensure the success of the next NAM summit," the minister said.
Ernesto assured Soeharto that Colombia, in leading the NAM, would continue following the direction taken by Indonesia.
The NAM, under Indonesian leadership, is now emphasizing economic cooperation among its 111 members and promoting the resumption of dialog between industrial and developing countries for partnership in economic development.
Moerdiono said Sudan's President El Bashir invited Indonesian companies to invest in Sudan's cotton plantations, whose products will be shipped to Indonesia -- a major textile producer. In return, Indonesia could export fertilizer, machinery and plant equipment to Sudan.
Meanwhile, Madagascar's Prime Minister Ravony proposed that Indonesia and Madagascar avoid unhealthy competition in selling clove and vanilla on the world market.
"President Soeharto agreed with Ravony's proposal and suggested that government officials and company executives of the two countries exchange views on measures to avoid unhealthy competition on the world market," Moerdiono said.
The minister said that all the leaders meeting with Soeharto have invited Indonesia to improve economic relations with their countries.