ROME, (AFP) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, on a European tour to build confidence in his country after decades of authoritarian rule, met with Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema on Friday.
His two-week tour comes amid rumors of a possible coup back home, following tension with the former head of the armed forces, General Wiranto, whom Wahid is trying to remove from the government for his role in the East Timor violence.
Wahid, Indonesia's first democratically elected president, arrived in Rome around 5:30 p.m. (1630 GMT) after talks with political leaders in Britain, France, the Netherlands and Germany attending a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Six government ministers and his daughter Yeri Arifah accompanied Mr Wahid.
Talks with his Italian counterpart Carlo Azeglio Ciampi were scheduled shortly after his arrival, to be followed by a meeting with D'Alema and Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini. And today around noon (1100 GMT), the 59-year-old Muslim will meet with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
The secretary of Indonesia's bishops, Johannes Hadiwikarta, praised Wahid for his efforts to establish harmony in the country and "wipe out corruption inherited from the Suharto regime."
The Vatican noted that there was no real religious conflict in the archipelago. "We hope that the president will explain that Islam exists in Indonesia in its various forms, not only in its extremes but also as a moderate Islam which is concerned about the nation's future. The prevailing impression is that there is no longer any religious freedom but in fact the expression of faith is still possible," said a Vatican official.
Wahid's European visit "may serve to restore confidence in the country," said the official, adding the president's visit is "trying to clear Indonesia's image of human rights violations."
The Bishop added that Wahid "has always supported religious harmony and the respect of Christian minorities in the country." President Wahid will stay in Rome till Sunday for a private visit.
In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, expressed confidence in Wahid's ability to resolve the country's problems peacefully.
Wahid, for his part, said that relations between his government and East Timor, where a referendum in favor of independence last year sparked bloody resistance from pro-Jakarta forces, were very good. The population of East Timor is Roman Catholic, while Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation.
President Wahid was the first to visit the Netherlands since Indonesia gained independence in 1949. Mr. Wahid had an accord designed to massively increase Dutch investment in his country. The Netherlands decided late last year to renew cooperation with Indonesia, which was broken off following violence in East Timor in 1992.
The Hague plans to increase its aid budget to Indonesia by $50 million. This grant, along with $47 million in bilateral debt relief, will, for the first time, make the Netherlands a net creditor to Indonesia.
