Antiterrorism body expected to protect exports

Antiterrorism body expected to protect exports

Tony Hotland, Jakarta

The government will set up a national anti-bioterrorism
committee in a bid to protect the country's export commodities on
the international market, especially in response to the United
States' newly endorsed Bioterrorism Act.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-
Jakti said on Wednesday that bioterrorism issues had a close
relationship to economic matters.

"Bioterrorism is mainly facilitated through chemical and
biological substances that are mostly used in sectors like
agriculture, plantations, animal husbandry and fisheries. We must
protect these sectors," he said after opening a seminar on the
issue.

The committee will act as the focal point to respond to
inquiries from foreign countries regarding the level of chemical
and biological substances in exported products, as well as to
monitor and trace the use of such substances in the country to
prevent the development of chemical weapons.

State Minister of Research and Technology M. Hatta Radjasa
said that such substances, largely used in various manufacturing
companies in Indonesia, had the potential to be misused.

"For example, the substances used to produce paint can
actually be used to make explosives. That's why we need to be
able to trace them, keeping in mind that up to now there's been
no body responsible for these tasks," he said.

The establishment of the committee is also in response to U.S.
regulations issued late last year that require facilities and
individuals that use, store or transport chemical and biological
substances to adhere to specific biosecurity procedures designed
to maintain oversight and control over those materials.

Realizing that such substances can also be acquired from
overseas, the U.S. government decided to impose the regulations
on products coming from abroad.

The U.S. is one of Indonesia's main export markets.
Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports in the first quarter of the
year reached US$11.47 billion, with some $1.75 billion worth of
goods sold to the U.S. market.

Dorodjatun acknowledged that domestic exporters would be
burdened with extra expenses, but assured that this was the best
preventive method and was necessary.

Extra expenses will likely be incurred in the form of fees for
scientific analysis of the exported products by an
internationally accredited laboratory.

"Just compare the benefit of spending money on the analysis to
the loss incurred if the products are exported without analysis
and the products are returned," Dorodjatun said.

Dorodjatun expects the committee, which will be chaired by the
research and technology minister, to start operation before the
year-end as the draft on the committee is being finalized.

The committee is also a consequence of the ratification of the
Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997. The convention requires all
signatory countries to establish a national committee that
answers to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons.