Jeju, South Korea (Antara Bali) - Former Indonesian president Megawati Sukarnoputri held a dialog with US ex-vice president Albert Arnold Gore (Al Gore) during the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity 2017 at the Jeju International Convention Center, South Korea, Thursday.
Sukarnoputri and Al Gore held a close-door meeting for about 30 minutes.
"It was about climate change issues," Sukarnoputri informed newsmen after the meeting with Al Gore.
During the meeting with Al Gore, Sukarnoputri said Indonesia is the worlds biggest archipelagic country and is highly concerned over the results of global warming, which is melting ice in the Arctic, South Pole, and Iceland.
"Al Gore also acknowledged that what is particularly worrisome in Iceland every day is the melting of tons of ice which, if allowed to continue, is feared to raise sea levels by two to three meters by the middle of this century," Sukarnoputri remarked.
The former Indonesian president stressed that Indonesia has numerous islands where currently flash floods have occurred in several places.
"Al Gore acknowledged that it can happen, but he said there is always hope for a solution to this problem," Sukarnoputri added.
According to Sukarnoputri, Al Gore also sought information about the condition of forests in Indonesia, as he had heard about rampant illegal logging in the country.
During the dialog, another issue that Sukarnoputri discussed with Al Gore was the political situation in the country, including corruption in Indonesia.
"Of course, as a politician, he also inquired about the situation in Indonesia with regard to the current government, and I say my party is always trying to make improvements. He also sought information about corruption, and I said we are also moving towards eradicating corruption, and he also agreed that one of the problems in this world is how to deal with corruption," Sukarnoputri revealed.
Al Gore did not give an official statement on his meeting with Sukarnoputri. Al Gore engaged in light interaction with reporters and Indonesian delegates, saying that he and Sukarnoputri had merely agreed on a peace agreement.(*)
