Soeharto to attend ASEAN summit in KL
JAKARTA (JP): Rumors of President Soeharto's ailing health were firmly rebuffed yesterday after it was announced that he would attend an informal summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.
The President will fly to Kuala Lumpur Sunday morning on a special flight and return to Jakarta Monday afternoon.
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono made the announcement after meeting with Soeharto yesterday at his residence on Jl. Cendana, Central Jakarta.
"At the summit, the President will ask other leaders to discuss the ongoing regional currency turmoil," Moerdiono said after the meeting which was also attended by Indonesia's director general for ASEAN national secretariat Witjaksana Soegarda.
Moerdiono said Soeharto looked fresh in his meetings.
This was the second of two meetings Soeharto had yesterday.
The first involved Moerdiono, Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah and Minister of Industry and Trade Tunky Ariwibowo.
"The two meetings lasted about 90 minutes and the President looked very healthy and relaxed," Moerdiono said.
Upon the advice of doctors, Soeharto decided Friday to take a 10-day rest following an exhausting 12-day overseas trip last month.
The President's schedule in Kuala Lumpur will be tight. It will include an ASEAN heads of government meeting and another involving one which includes leaders of China, Japan and South Korea.
The informal summit is the apex of the yearlong celebrations marking ASEAN's 30th anniversary. Sunday's two-day meeting has also been dubbed the "commemorative summit".
Established in Bangkok in 1967, ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Witjaksono said the proceedings will begin at 9 a.m. with leaders attending a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony by their foreign ministers on the establishment of an ASEAN foundation.
In the afternoon, the leaders will meet with the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
"After that, they will meet simultaneously with three heads of governments from Japan, South Korea and China as ASEAN's dialog partners," said Witjaksana.
A senior diplomat said there was no specific agenda for the leaders meeting, but rather there would be several indicative topics including the possible revision of the ASEAN vision.
Moerdiono would not say whether Soeharto would hold bilateral meetings with other leaders but confirmed that "some heads of governments have asked for meetings with him".
Health
Soeharto's eldest daughter, Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana, yesterday dismissed speculation that her father was seriously ill.
"No, it's not true. Alhamdulillah (Thank God) he is healthy," she told reporters after attending a meeting at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
She said that her father only needed a rest after his recent travel abroad and expected him to return to state duties soon.
Hardiyanti, better known as Mbak Tutut, condemned foreign media for falsely reporting Tuesday that Soeharto was dead.
Asked about her father's response to the rumors, Hardiyanti said her father only smiled.
"Why should he be angry about such misleading rumors?" she said.
In Dili, East Timor, Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo appealed to all religious leaders to pray for Soeharto's health.
"What is important is that people around Pak Harto do not make trouble for him," Belo told reporters in Dili yesterday. (prb/imn/33)