Vietnamese president to visit Indonesia

INDONESIA: Vietnamese President Tran Duc Luong will start his official visit to three member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with the first stop being Indonesia on Saturday.

According to the Indonesian foreign ministry, the Vietnamese president will hold a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri only two hours after arriving at Halim Perdanakusuma airport.

The two presidents are scheduled to hold a joint press conference soon after a meeting of their respective delegations at Merdeka Palace.

During the three-day visit, the president is also slated to meet the People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais and House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung.

He is also scheduled to visit Pulo Gadung industrial estate on Sunday and meet representatives of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He will leave Jakarta and head to Brunei Darussalam on Monday, before continuing his trip with a visit to the Philippines on Nov. 14.--JP