PRESIDENT OFF TO US FOR G-20 SUMMIT

Jakarta, Sept. 23 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left here on Wednesday morning for Pittsburgh, the United States, to attend a G-20 Summit on September 24-25, 2009.

The head of state and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono departed aboard Garuda Indonesia's presidential plane bearing serial number A 330-300 from Halim Perdana Kesuma Air Force base in east Jakarta.

Vice President M Jusuf Kalla and his spouse, Mufidah Kalla, National Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, Minister/State Secretary Hatta Rajasa saw off the president and his entourage at the air force base.

The presidential entourage included Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, and Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Chairman MS Hidayat.

Yudhoyono is scheduled to address the third G-20 summit on the importance of a common agenda to handle the impact of climate change .

From Pittsburgh, he will proceed to Harvard University in Boston on September 26, 2009 to deliver a lecture on the importance of inter-faith harmony in a nation's life.

The G-20 brings together important industrial and emerging-market countries from all regions of the world. Together, the G-20 member countries represent around 90 percent of the global gross national product, 80 percent of world trade (including EU intra-trade) as well as two-thirds of the world's population.

The G-20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries, namely Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

The European Union which is represented by the rotating Council presidency and the European Central Bank, is the 20th member of the G-20.

To ensure global economic fora and institutions work together, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the president of the World Bank, plus the chairs of the International Monetary and Financial Committee and Development Committee of the IMF and World Bank, also participate in G-20 meetings on an ex-officio basis.