Suriname president's visit off to rocky start
Suriname president's visit off to rocky start
JAKARTA (JP): The visit by Suriname President R.R. Venetiaan,
which is touted as a way of replenishing traditional ties, got
off to an embarrassing start for his hosts on Wednesday.
Venetiaan and his entourage of 33 were stranded in Singapore
for more than two hours because the Garuda Indonesia plane, which
was flying him from Amsterdam to Jakarta, was beset by technical
difficulties.
When he did arrive in Jakarta, darkness had already fallen,
necessitating a cancellation in the 21 gun-salute normally
accorded visiting heads of state when he was welcomed by
President Soeharto in the Merdeka Palace compound.
As yesterday was a public holiday in Indonesia, the talks
between the two presidents and the state banquet in his honor are
scheduled on the penultimate day of his visit rather than on the
first day as is customary.
Yesterday, Venetiaan completed the less formal programs, such
as laying a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes' Cemetery, and flying
to Bandung, West Java, to visit the plant of the state aircraft
manufacturer IPTN and the Asia-Africa museum. He then flew to
Yogyakarta where he was a guest of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X before
returning to Jakarta.
This is the first time a Suriname president has visited
Indonesia.
The two countries, despite their distance and virtual absence
of commercial ties, are bound by tradition as both were at one
time colonies of the Netherlands. As many as 15 percent of the
413,000 Surinamese are descendants of Javanese who were shipped
there by the Dutch as plantation workers.
Two members of the presidential delegation have Javanese
names. They are Soemita, the Minister of Social Services, and C.
Ardjosemito, who heads the agriculture and fisheries department.
Other members of the delegation, besides Mrs. Venetiaan,
include Foreign Minister S.Ch. Mungra, Minister of Natural
Resources F.R. Demon and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries J.
Sisal. They are joined by 11 entrepreneurs who will be exploring
trade ties with their Indonesian counterparts.
A new trade cooperation agreement will be signed by the
foreign ministers of the two countries during the visit.
Indonesia and Suriname have maintained diplomatic relations
since 1964, initially at consulate general level and elevated to
full embassy status after Suriname became fully independent in
1975.
Suriname is also a member of the Non-Aligned Movement which is
currently chaired by Indonesia.
The two countries signed a technical cooperation agreement in
1990 and an economic and technical agreement in 1992. Trade
between them amounted to a meager $1.9 million a year with
Indonesia, which is exporting textiles, garments and handicrafts,
running a surplus. (emb/pet)