Susilo to visit Pakistan, India after APEC summit

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will hold talks with country leaders, business communities and Indonesian citizens living abroad during his trip to Busan, South Korea, for the annual APEC Summit.

The President, who will leave Jakarta on Thursday at 7 a.m. from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base, is also scheduled to visit India and Pakistan after the summit in his 10-day trip.

Susilo is expected to make presentations on labor, tax, infrastructure and investment affairs before APEC leaders.

Aside from attending the summit, he will hold bilateral talks with South Korean Prime Minister Roh Moo-Hyun, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien-Loong on Friday.

A meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled on Saturday, followed with Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong, before he meets Indonesians working in South Korea.

Susilo will spend his Sunday in the country by talking with executives from the South Korean Chamber of Commerce, local conglomerates and businesspeople, as well as executives from U.S. software giant Microsoft Corp.

APEC groups 21 economies from the Pacific Rim covering 2.6 billion people on four continents. The grouping accounts for almost 60 percent of the world's gross domestic products (GDP) and 41 percent of the world's total trade.

After wrapping up his schedule in Busan, Susilo will fly to India on Monday for a three-day visit.

The President will visit Bangalore and Agra before meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to seal several cooperation agreements.

During the trip, Susilo will also meet local businesspeople and Indonesian workers there, as well as making a visit to Indian aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and information technology company Infosys.

Susilo and his 100-strong entourage are also scheduled to visit Indian cultural icons, the Taj Mahal and the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial.

On Thursday, Susilo will arrive in Islamabad for a bilateral meeting with Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf before leaving for Jakarta on Saturday morning.

Those traveling with the President include economics ministers, businesspeople, legislators, presidential advisors and personal photographers and physicians along with dozens of journalists.