AEBC set to discuss non-tariff barriers

AEBC set to discuss non-tariff barriers

JAKARTA (JP): Asian and European businesspeople will meet here
next week at the 1997 Asia-Europe Business Conference (AEBC) to
discuss the removal of non-tariff barriers to the European
markets to give wider access to Indonesian products.

Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Kadin) Aburizal Bakrie said yesterday that during the three-day
conference which is due to start Tuesday, Indonesia would assure
European businesspeople of the great benefits of shifting their
business orientation from East Europe and Africa to Asia.

Indonesian businesspeople, he said, were expected to use the
conference as an opportunity to attract European and other Asian
businesses to invest in Indonesia.

The AEBC will be a follow-up of the first Asia-Europe Meeting
(ASEM) held last year in Bangkok.

"Its main goal is to boost partnerships between the two
regions in areas of trade, investment and transfer of
technology," Aburizal said.

He said the results of the conference would be presented as a
recommendation from the business community to the next Asia-
Europe Meeting of economic ministers in September in Japan.

Chairman of the organizing committee, Soy Pardede, said about
44 businesspeople from Europe and 272 from Asia had so far
registered to attend the conference.

About 400 businesspeople and government officials are expected
to show up when the conference begins.

The conference will be opened by President Soeharto at the
Merdeka Palace on Monday. It will continue on Tuesday at the
Shangri-La Hotel.

Discussions during the conference will focus on four topics:
the development of small and medium enterprises; the development
of trade, investment and infrastructure facilities; the direction
of Asia-Europe cooperation in the future; and "business
matchmaking" in the three fields aforementioned. (pwn)