French business delegation gets to see Indonesia firsthand<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After a three-day business visit to Indonesia, a delegation of
\nFrench businessmen concluded that Indonesia is not as bad as it
\nis depicted in the foreign press, and that the country would
\nremain attractive to foreign investors.<\/p>\n
Head of the French business delegation Phillipe Louis Dreyfus
\nsaid that, while Indonesia was facing various problems, he was
\nconvinced that the government could resolve them to create a
\nconducive atmosphere for investment.<\/p>\n
\"The reality is Indonesia is working,\" Dreyfus told reporters
\nlate on Wednesday on the sidelines of a function held at the
\nFrench ambassador's residence.<\/p>\n
Around 32 executives from 21 prominent companies in France
\noperating in the banking sector, oil, gas, shipping,
\ntelecommunications, as well as consultancies, visited Indonesia
\nthis week.<\/p>\n
The business executives met with President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, senior government officials, legislators, members
\nof the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and
\nseveral local business associations.<\/p>\n
\"It is the right time to do more business in Indonesia and we
\nhope we will find the ideal climate,\" Dreyfus said.<\/p>\n
He said that what French businesses needed was not investment
\nincentives but primarily security guarantees and legal certainty
\nwhen operating businesses here.<\/p>\n
French businesses, according to Dreyfus, are interested in
\ninvesting in joint venture scheme in sectors like agriculture,
\noil and gas, commodity trading, shipping, telecommunications,
\nfinance and banking, hotel and infrastructure construction.<\/p>\n
He declined to provide investment target figures.<\/p>\n
\"In business you have targets but you do not express it freely
\nbecause international business is very difficult to achieve,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also said that French companies were not newcomers in
\nIndonesia because there are already names like supermarket
\nCarrefour, oil and gas company TotalfinaElf, carmaker Renault,
\nand mineral water bottler Danone, which have been operating in
\nthe country for a few years.<\/p>\n
France ranked 17th in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI)
\nin Indonesia with approved FDI of around US$10.5 million between
\nJanuary and July, 2001.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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