ASEAN moving early on trade liberalization

ASEAN moving early on trade liberalization

JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) will hold a series of meetings to boost sub-
regional cooperation in an effort to accelerate trade
liberalization.

"The acceleration of trade liberalization in ASEAN through
sub-regional cooperation is necessary as other members of the
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum liberalize,"
Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto told
reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at the Merdeka
Palace yesterday.

ASEAN has been committed to accelerating trade liberalization
under a Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme within
five years of the original target of 2008, while APEC leaders
last week agreed on trade liberalization by 2010 for its
developed member economies and by 2020 for its developing
members.

APEC groups ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia. Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- and 12 other economies.

Hartarto, who was accompanied by Minister/State Secretary
Moerdiono in yesterday's meeting with Soeharto, said Indonesia,
Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines will hold a ministerial
meeting in Manado of North Sulawesi on Nov. 30 to discuss
economic cooperation at the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA), which
will involve the four countries.

"Discussions at the Manado meeting will be focused on the
development of cooperation in intra-ASEAN trade and investment,
sea and air transportation, fishery, energy, mining and tourism,"
Hartarto said, adding that the ministers will also discuss a plan
to assign the Asian Development Bank to study the feasibility of
the EAGA cooperation.

The ministerial meeting will be preceded by a two-day meeting
of senior officials beginning next Monday.

Businessmen and officials of the four countries made a
resolution after a three-day meeting in the Philippine city of
Davao last week that they will boost cooperation in fishery,
forestry and tourism.

Penang

Hartarto said Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will also hold
a ministerial meeting on Dec. 16 in Penang of Malaysia to discuss
technical implementation of cooperation at the
Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).

"Discussions at the ministerial meeting will be focused on the
development of cooperation in tourism, fishery, sub-regional
trade, industrial relocation from Malaysia to Sumatra,
telecommunications, transportation and labor mobility," Hartarto
said.

The Penang meeting will be preceded by a senior official
meeting on Dec. 14-15 and a business meeting on Dec. 14, he said.

Technical meetings on the development of cooperation in trade,
investment and sea and land transportation in the IMT-GT area
will take place in Medan of North Sumatra and Banda Aceh of Aceh
on Dec.5 and Dec.6, he added.

Hartarto said that he, together with Singapore's Deputy Prime
Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Minister of International
Trade and Industry Rafidah Azis, will sign a memorandum of
understanding in Johor of Malaysia on Dec. 17 on the expansion of
the Indonesian area involved in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore
Growth Triangle to include all territories of Riau.

He said an executive working committee set up by Indonesia and
Singapore is scheduled on Dec. 19 to hold its first meeting to
discuss the implementation of last month's agreement to improve
cooperation in the tourism industry between the two
countries.(fhp)