Soeharto's state visit to Croatia, Bosnia begins
Soeharto's state visit to Croatia, Bosnia begins
By Rikza Abdullah
ZAGREB (JP): President Soeharto arrived here from Copenhagen
yesterday for a three-day state visit which will be interrupted
by a three-hour trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina today.
Soeharto was in Copenhagen for four days to attend the United
Nations World Summit on Social Development and to hold talks with
several Asian leaders.
In Zagreb yesterday, the President, who is accompanied by
First Lady Tien Soeharto, was welcomed by Croatian Prime Minister
Nikica Velentic at the international airport. There was no gun
salute but the national anthems of both countries were played.
A military welcoming ceremony will be held today when Soeharto
pays a call on President Franjo Tudjman at the Presidential
Palace prior to the start of bilateral talks.
Nana Sutresna, the chief executive assistant to the Non-
Alignment Movement (NAM) chairman, told The Jakarta Post that
Soeharto, in his capacity as NAM chairman, would be seeking a
peaceful solution to the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Soeharto's
next step will depend on the outcome of his meeting with Croatian
and Bosnian leaders.
Soeharto's entourage includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
Alatas; Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono; Nana Sutresna; chief
of Indonesia's permanent representative office at the United
Nations, Nugroho Wisnumurti; and Commander of the Armed Forces
Gen. Feisal Tanjung, who joined the party over the weekend.
From the airport Soeharto and entourage were driven directly
to the Intercontinental Hotel, where they will stay until
tomorrow.
After a four-hour rest yesterday, the President and Mrs.
Soeharto attended a film presentation at the hotel, had a meeting
with Croatian parliamentary leaders at the parliament building
and attended a dinner party hosted by Prime Minister Velentic at
the Velce Palace.
Today, Soeharto is scheduled to hold talks with Tudjman at the
Presidential Palace, where their ministers will hold a parallel
meeting.
After those talks, Soeharto and the high-ranking Indonesian
officials within his entourage will leave for Sajarevo by a
United Nations airplane.
Concurrently, Mrs. Soeharto will meet with Ankica Tudjman at
Villa Prekrizje and visit the SOS Children's Village.
According to Moerdiono, the UN peacekeeping forces in Bosnia
have guaranteed the safety of President Soeharto and his party
during their visit.
The Indonesian leader, who is also NAM's chairman, will try to
get first-hand information about the situation in Bosnia, while
looking for opportunities for the improvement of bilateral
economic relations.
Moerdiono told Indonesian reporters traveling with Soeharto's
party that it was likely that the President and his entourage
would be transported from the Sarajevo airport to the Bosnian
Presidential Palace by UN armored personnel carriers.
Soeharto will hold a half-hour tete-a-tete meeting with
Bosnian President Aliza Ezerbegovic at the palace, followed by a
30-minute meeting between top Indonesian and Bosnian officials.
On the way back to the airport, Soeharto and his entourage
will be given a tour of Sarajevo.
Returning to Zagreb, the President and Mrs. Soeharto will
attend a state banquet hosted by Tudjman at Hotel Esplanaden.
In January, President Soeharto was host in Jakarta to Bosnian
President Izerbegovic and Croatian Prime Minister Valentic.
Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silasdjzik was received by Soeharto
in Jakarta in March 1994.
Yugoslavia, which has been dominated by only Serbia and
Montenegro since 1992, was expelled by NAM, under Soeharto's
leadership, in the same year. The former Yugoslavia was one of
the founding members of the 111-nation movement.