Indonesian President Yudhoyono postpones state visit to the Netherlands

Indonesian President Yudhoyono postpones state visit to the Netherlands

2010-10-05 18:08:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA / THE HAGUE (BNO NEWS) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday decided to cancel his state visit to the Netherlands over fears that he might be arrested there, his office said.

Yudhoyono said it was not unusual to have safety concerns when a head of state visits other countries, but not from a court. "What I can not accept is that when the President of the Republic of Indonesia visits the Netherlands at the invitation of the Queen of the Netherlands and also the Prime Minister of the Netherlands at a time when a court is to decide on, among other things, the arrest of the President of the Republic of Indonesia," the President said.

Yudhoyono, along with his wife Ani Bamban Yudhoyono, was scheduled to arrive at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport on early Wednesday morning on a three-day state visit. The couple was later scheduled to meet Queen Beatrix, Princess Maxima, Prime Minister Jan Peter-Balkenende, and others.

The Dutch government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the cancellation. Yudhoyono said it was not known until the state visit would be postponed.

"The last few days there has been a development in The Hague in which there is a lawsuit in court to question human rights problems in Indonesia and even asks the court to arrest the President of the Republic of Indonesia during a visit to the Netherlands," Yudhoyono added. According to him, Republic of South Maluku separatists are involved in filing the lawsuit.

The office of Yudhoyono said the President feared that the good relations with the Netherlands could suffer a setback if he went ahead with the state visit. It could also cause misunderstanding.

"It concerns our pride and honor as a nation," Yudhoyono added. "Therefore, I decided to postpone this visit."

The Presidential office said Yudhoyono will send a letter to Prime Minister Balkenende to explain his decision to postpone the visit.

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