JAKARTA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has appointed a nine-member advisory team comprising experts and prominent people, an official said Wednesday.

    The newly-established Presidential Advisory Council, locally abbreviated as Wantimpres, will be inaugurated next week, Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi told reporters at the Merdeka Palace.

    The members include former long-serving foreign minister Ali Alatas in charge of international affairs, noted lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution on legal affairs, Harvard graduate Dr. Sjahrir on economics and former environment minister Emil Salim on environmental issues and sustainable development.

    Also joining the team was Rachmawati Soekarnoputri, the younger sister of former president Megawati, to handle political affairs.

    Four other members will assist the president in the areas of agriculture, security, religious affairs and culture.

    "I want to give my contribution to the country, by ensuring that all president's decisions are in compliance with democratic and good government principles," Adnan Buyung Nasution said before a meeting with the president earlier in the day.