PRESIDENT VISITS MEDIA OFFICES

Jakarta, June 26 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited two national media offices for a dialog with the editors and the reporters on Friday.

With his private Mercedes Benz saloon car, the president arrived at the office of Seputar Indonesia daily at Kebon Sirih Tower on Kebon Sirih street in Central Jakarta at 7.40 on Friday
From the office of Seputar Indonesia daily, President Yudhoyono is also scheduled to make a similar visit to Republika daily on Warung Buncit street in South Jakarta later in the day after performing Friday prayers at Al Ittihad mosque on Pejaten Raya street, not far from the Republika office.

Earlier on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, President Yudhoyono also visited the Kompas daily and Tempo offices.

The head of state visited Kompas at 9.30 on Wednesday in the company of Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi, and presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng.

But the president was not accompanied by his wife, First Lady Ani Yudhoyono during those visits.

When the head of state arrived at the lobby of Kompas office, he was greeted by a number of employees and then posed for a group photograph before proceeding to the sixth floor of the office building for a closed-door meeting with the paper's General Manager Jakob Oetama, Chief Editor Rikard Bagun, and Kompas Gramedia CEO Adi Prasetya.

After the closed-door meeting, the president took a few minutes of his time to meet a number of editors at the editorial room, before visiting Tempo Magazine later in the day.

A similar activity was also carried out made by Vice President Jusuf Kalla earlier by meeting members of the Indonesian Television Journalists Association.

Because of the visit to the national media offices on Wednesday, the president failed to attend Road Safety National Week 2009 (PNKJ-2009) to open the event at Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park (TMII) on the same day.

The president was originally scheduled to open the PNKJ-2009 at Tanah Airku (my country) Theater at TMII but merely in the company of Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal.