Suriname's leader arrives for talks

Suriname's leader arrives for talks

JAKARTA (JP): Suriname's President Jules Albert Wijdenbosch
and his entourage will arrive here this morning for a four-day
state visit to strengthen bilateral talks between the two
countries.

The visit is in exchange for President Soeharto's trip to the
country in October 1995.

His entourage includes his wife Patricia D'Leon Wijdenbosch,
minister of foreign affairs, minister of mines and energy and
minister of agriculture and fishery.

"The purpose of this visit is to step up friendship and
economic cooperation between the two countries," Minister/State
Secretary Moerdiono said yesterday.

Jakarta has special affinity with Suriname which has a
population of about 425,000, because 14.2 percent of them are
Surinamese of Javanese descent.

The Javanese immigrants were brought into this country early
this century by the Dutch, who colonized both Indonesia and
Suriname. Suriname is in northern South America.

After bilateral talks between the two presidents tomorrow,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and his counterpart will
sign three memorandum of understandings on cultural cooperation,
the establishment of a joint commission and agriculture.

Wijdenbosch will visit Borobudur and Prambanan temples in
Yogyakarta Thursday.

Later in the afternoon he will leave for Bali where he will
spend one night.

Wijdenbosch and his entourage will return to Paramaribo Friday
on a commercial flight. (prb)