Susilo needs warming up in Busan

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post/Busan, South Korea

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to be adopting a form of "silent" diplomacy while attending the first meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Thursday.

After meeting South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun early in the morning and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong afterwards, Susilo attended the first meeting of the two-day summit.

Upon arriving at the Leader's Lounge at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), Susilo, unlike the other leaders, did not engage in conversation.

The only close companion of the President before and after the meeting was his spokesman, advisor and interpreter Dino Pati Djalal.

The 21 APEC leaders sat in a circle. With the exception of the hosts of the 2004, 2005 and 2006 summits, all other leaders were seated in clockwise alphabetical order.

President Roh sat at the head of the circular arrangement, and Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, as the host of next year's summit, sat at Roh's right.

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, as the host of last year's meeting, sat on Roh's left.

President Susilo, in black suit, sat beside Hong Kong interim leader Donald Tsang and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

While other leaders were engaged in light banter when leaving the lounge to their cars, President Susilo was seen unattended, aside from Roh who later walked him out to say farewell.

After the meeting, Susilo and other leaders attended the gala dinner and cultural performance for the APEC leaders and some 1,000 other delegations and business heads participating in the summit.

Here, Susilo and First Lady Kristiani Yudhoyono sat beside President Roh, right at the center, giving them a wide view of the audience. Despite the position, Susilo was seen for only a few seconds on local TV channels, which gave more time to Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

On Saturday, the second APEC Retreat will be held at a specially designed get-away called the Nurimaru APEC House, located on the nearby Dongbaek Island, under the theme "A Safe and Transparent Asia-Pacific Region".

After the meeting, the leaders will stand in front of APEC House dressed in formal turumagi Korean traditional costume for a for a group photograph.