President off to Europe on Sunday for four-nation tour

SBY PRESIDENCY. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to leave for Europe on Sunday for a week-long visit. The president will visit Belgium, France, Germany and Denmark, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said in a press conference at the presidential office here on Friday.

In the first three countries, Yudhoyono will pay a short visit or shuttle diplomacy aimed at enhancing relations with those countries and discussing efforts to make the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen a success, Dino said.

The president is scheduled to visit Brussels on December 14, Paris December 15 and Germany December 16 after which he will continue his journey to Copenhagen for the climate change conference which will bring together more than 100 world leaders, he said.

"The visit is long-awaited. In the past five years the president has several times planned to visit Europe but to no avail because he had to adjust his time. Thank God, the president will visit Europe in December," he said.

At each meeting with the heads of state/government of the countries, Yudhoyono will discuss efforts to enhance investment and trade relations with those countries, he said.

In Brussels, the Indonesian leader will hold talks with European Union President Jose Manuel Barosso on how to enhance relations between the 27-nation bloc and Indonesia, he said.

In Copenhagen, Yudhoyono is scheduled to deliver a speech to the first session of the climate change conference, he said.

He expressed hope the conference will end with a global commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which have increased 40 percent since the signing of Kyoto protocol.

"Hopefully, the presence of more than 100 world leaders will lead to the meeting adopting a consensus. What is important for the president is that there must be a global consensus which is the vision of the Bali meeting. It doesn`t matter whether it will come to the form of political agreement but it reflects a global commitment," he said.(ANTARA News)