APB-Net talks fail to reach agreement

APB-Net talks fail to reach agreement

JAKARTA (JP): The preparatory talks in Tokyo for the second
meeting of the Asia Pacific Business Network (APB-Net), which
will be held in Osaka on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, are deadlocked,
Husein Aminuddin, chief of the Indonesian delegation, said
yesterday.

"Last week's meeting failed to agree on an agenda, as well as
other matters to be tabled at APB-Net II in Osaka because the
Japanese delegation, as the hosts, forced its wishes against what
had been agreed at APB-Net I in Jakarta last August," Aminuddin
added.

He said the Japanese hosts made the first mistake by changing
the composition of business delegates invited to take part in the
Tokyo meeting.

"Only the representatives of business organizations which have
close cooperation with the Federation of Economic Organizations
were invited to the preparatory talks," he said.

Since APB-Net I in Jakarta was attended by representatives of
the chambers of commerce of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) forum member economies, many of the delegates in the Tokyo
meeting were not apprised of the developments of the private
business forum, Aminuddin added.

The APEC forum includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile,
China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South
Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and the United States.

APB-Net was inaugurated in Jakarta last August as an informal
forum designed to develop practical business networking among
individual enterprises in member economies.

According to Aminuddin, the Japanese delegation also did not
pay any attention to the agreement reached at APB-Net I on the
promotion of business linkages between medium and small-scale
enterprises.

"Japan even suggested that APB-Net be developed into a formal
organization. That is against the agreement in Jakarta, which
set the forum as an informal organization to avoid duplication of
similar business organizations within the region," he said.

Given the deadlock at the preparatory talks, Indonesian,
Canadian and Australian delegations wondered whether it would be
necessary to attend the APB-Net II In Osaka next October,
Aminuddin added. Aminuddin is also Vice Chairman of the
Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Trade and
International Relations.(vin)