U.S. seeks more economic support for Indonesia<\/p>\n
Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The United States is looking for more ways to support
\nIndonesia pursue its economic reform agenda, a visiting senior
\nofficial of the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Randal K. Quarles, assistant secretary for international
\naffairs, told reporters that he was encouraged by the economic
\nprogress Indonesia had made these last 18 months, as evident by
\nthe country's increasing macroeconomic stability.<\/p>\n
Quarles, who met with a number of senior Indonesian economics
\nministers as well as business leaders during his two-day visit to
\nIndonesia, said that on his return to Washington, he would be
\nlooking at ways on how the United States could help Indonesia
\nmove along the economic reform program, as worked out jointly
\nwith the International Monetary Fund (IMF).<\/p>\n
\"I've been very pleased by what I was hearing from the trip.
\nWe would like to see Indonesia stay on this course,\" he said
\nduring a media briefing about his trip held at the residence of
\nU.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce.<\/p>\n
\"There's obviously more to do,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He declined to give specific details about the additional U.S.
\nsupport, nor would he comment on whether this would translate
\ninto more money becoming available for Indonesia.<\/p>\n
However, he said he was quite hopeful that the disbursement of
\nthe next IMF loan tranche to Indonesia, delayed since September,
\nwould soon take place.<\/p>\n
Quarles served as the United States executive director at the
\nIMF from August 2001 until March this year. As the single largest
\nshareholder of the IMF, the United States is key to many of the
\nIMF's major decisions, including on Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The IMF board has delayed the latest disbursement pending
\nguarantees from Jakarta about a number of issues that have not
\nbeen resolved on time.<\/p>\n
\"These problems would be addressed in the next couple of
\nweeks,\" he said confidently.<\/p>\n
Quarles rejected the characterization that the U.S. economic
\nsupport for Indonesia was \"conditional\" to Jakarta's cooperation
\nin Washington's war on terror.<\/p>\n
The Treasury Department, however, was interested in
\nIndonesia's efforts at combating the financing of terrorism, he
\nadmitted.<\/p>\n
Quarles said he raised the subject during his meetings with
\nthe Indonesian economics ministers, and that the United States
\nwas appreciative about the level of cooperation that Jakarta had
\ngiven on this particular front in the war against terror.<\/p>\n
Quarles' ringing endorsement of the Indonesian economy was
\nsomewhat at odds with the State Department's travel advisory
\nwarning Americans not to visit Indonesia, which was issued in the
\nwake of the bomb attacks in Bali on Oct. 12 that killed nearly
\n200 people, mostly foreigners.<\/p>\n
When asked about this, he said that based on his meetings with
\nforeign business leaders in Jakarta, \"security does not appear to
\nbe a major obstacle to investment, or economic growth\".<\/p>\n
\"The issues that are most important to business is not
\nsecurity, but the business and investment climate,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Quarles hoped that the Indonesian economy, and in particular
\nthe Balinese economy, would quickly recover from the impact of
\nthe Oct. 12 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n
He recalled that tourism in Egypt was badly affected by a
\nmassacre of tourists in the Luxor resort in 1997, but within 12
\nmonths the country saw the level of visitors return to as high as
\nbefore the attack. Similarly, New York was able to recover
\nquickly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he noted.<\/p>\n
Quarles has a personal, if not romantic, reason for wanting to
\nsee Bali recover quickly -- he spent his honeymoon on the island
\nin 1997.<\/p>\n
\"I will be the first person to encourage people to go to Bali
\nas soon as the travel advisory is lifted,\" he said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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