Soeharto reconfirms APEC summit attendance

Soeharto reconfirms APEC summit attendance

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has confirmed with the
Canadian government that he will attend the Fifth Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vancouver next month.

This was actually a reconfirmation that he would attend,
because he said last month that he would go to Vancouver even
though he might face demonstrations against Indonesia.

Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said that the President had
also pledged the government's full support for the success of the
APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.

"The President confirmed his presence at the summit, and
pointed out that the meeting would not only be useful for
Indonesia and Canada but also for people in the Asia-Pacific
region," Moerdiono said after meeting with President Soeharto at
Merdeka Palace.

Moerdiono accompanied Soeharto in receiving Canadian Prime
Minister Jean Chretien's special envoy Leonard Edwards who
submitted an official invitation for the summit. Edwards was
flanked by Canadian Ambassador Gary J. Smith.

Edwards said the meeting would be held on Nov. 24 and Nov. 25.

"The President believes that my prime minister will be a good
host," Edwards remarked.

APEC comprises 18 countries and economic powers in the Asia-
Pacific region, including Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, China, Chile,
Mexico, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Papua New Guinea, and
economic powers like Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hong Kong was returned
to China in July this year.

The first summit was held on Blake Island, the U.S., in 1993,
then in Bogor, West Java, in 1994, in Osaka, Japan, in 1995, and
in Manila, the Philippines, last year.

When asked whether the summit would also discuss the currency
crisis, Edwards said: "I think the issue will be reflected in the
leaders meeting... but this decision totally depends on the
leaders to decide."

In their meeting in Bogor in 1994, the leaders pledged their
commitment to create a free trade area in the region by the year
2020. Advanced countries are expected to completely dismantle
their trade barriers in 2010 in a nonbinding basis.

The leaders said in Manila last year that they were
enthusiastic about the group's astonishing economic power. The 18
countries constitute nearly half of the world's population. At
US$16 trillion they take in 55 percent of global income, and they
represent more than 40 percent of world trade.

In a meeting with APEC Business Advisory Council members from
Indonesia last month, Soeharto said he would attend the summit
even though East Timor activists would likely hold demonstrations
against Indonesia.

"The President smilingly said that he was regarded as a
murderer by anti-Indonesia people there," Bustanil Arifin quoted
Soeharto as saying during their meeting. (prb)