Swedish official visits Indonesia to boost ties

Swedish official visits Indonesia to boost ties

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Sweden, a small but prosperous Northern European nation, is
sending its most senior official to Indonesia this week to foster
the existing close ties between the two countries and to discuss
the latest situation in Aceh, Swedish ambassador to Indonesia
Lennart Linner said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Sweden's director general for political affairs at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olof Skoog, is visiting Indonesia
from Oct. 11 to Oct. 14, 2005," ambassador Linner said in a press
release sent to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

During his three-day visit, Skoog will meet Vice President
Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid
Awaluddin, Skoog's counterpart at the Indonesian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and other officials, Linner said.

Skoog, an experienced career-diplomat, is scheduled to visit
Aceh from Oct.13 to Oct.14.

Though most of the Free Aceh Movement's leaders live in its
territory, Sweden strongly supports the peace process in Aceh. It
is providing not only logistical support for the Aceh Monitoring
Mission (AMM) but also giving US$5 million in cash and providing
personnel.

Sweden, a big donor to last year's tsunami victims, has so far
provided US$33 million to Indonesia, especially for the recovery
and reconstruction of Aceh.