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)