Indonesian President Leaves for Two-Week Overseas VisitIndonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid Thursday left for a two-week visit to the Middle East.The president, accompanied by ministers of foreign affairs, defense and religious affairs, was seen off by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri and other ministers at Halim Perdanakusuma airport. The president will visit Yemen first, after which he will visit the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Egypt and Nigeria, ending his trip by performing the haj in Saudi Arabia. On Wednesday, Wahid held a predeparture meeting with the Indonesian Military chief, the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, the National Police chief, Minister of Defense Mahfud M.D., Attorney General Marzuki Darusman and the intelligence chief. "His message was that during his trip abroad, efforts to maintain security must be properly performed under the guidance of the vice president. In the case of something urgent, the president should be informed," Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said. The trip comes amid mounting pressure for Wahid to resign, following the House of Representatives' memorandum of censure against the president on February 1 for his alleged involvement in two financial scandals. Many people believe the memorandum of censure will lead to impeachment. According to presidential spokesman Yahya Staquf, the president was not concerned about leaving the country for two-week trip. Wahid has visited more than 50 countries since he took office in October 1999. |
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