Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said Friday the meeting would be held at the Presidential Palace at about 4 p.m.

"The two leaders will cover several issues, including trade and other issues related to the Middle East peace process," Julian told reporters on the sidelines of the President's visit to Oslo to attend an international conference on climate change and forestry.

Yudhoyono and his entourage are expected to arrive at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, East Jakarta, at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

In a statement made shortly before leaving for Oslo, the President said Indonesia would remain consistent in its support for an independent Palestinian state.

It will be the third trip to Indonesia for Abbas, who was last here in October 2007. Palestine and Indonesia then signed memorandums of understanding on training and courses for Palestinian diplomats and policemen, sister-city cooperation between Jerusalem and Jakarta, and regular consultations between the two administrations.

On Friday, Abbas met with Vice President Boediono at the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta.

The event, which took place at the Pancasila Building, was declared off-limits to the media, Antara reported.

Boediono was seen greeting Abbas at the Pancasila Building on Jl. Pejambon in Central Jakarta prior to the dinner.

Vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat said the dinner was held to honor the visiting Palestinian president, who arrived in Jakarta earlier in the day.

"We will only know the substance of the visit when President Yudhoyono meets with President Abbas tomorrow *Saturday*," Yopie said.

The current visit is part of Abbas' Asian tour, which also takes him to Vietnam and Malaysia.

A source at the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta told Antara that Abbas would also hold meetings with, among others, Vice President Boediono and ambassadors from Arab countries during his stay in Jakarta.

The source also said Palestine and Indonesia would most likely sign an MoU on the construction of an Indonesian hospital in the Gaza Strip.

Recently, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi told representatives of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C) Indonesia the government had agreed to allocate Rp 20 billion (US$2.15 million) in assistance to build the health facility in Gaza.

"The presence of Indonesian hospital at Gaza Strip is urgent and therefore we have to support it," Sudi said.

MER-C Presidium chairman Sarbini Abdul Murad the humanitarian organization had raised Rp 13 billion from the Indonesian community to finance the construction of the Indonesian hospital.

Popular

Retail sales, consumer confidence ease as Idul Fitri boost dissipates

Students to rally against Prabowo amid economic pressures

Number of forcibly displaced people dips to 118 million: UN