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)