Aussie business group to meet president

Aussie business group to meet president

JAKARTA (JP): A high-powered Australian business delegation
will arrive here on Sunday for a series of meetings, including
one with President Abdurrahman Wahid, the Australian embassy said
on Friday.

The delegation, headed by John Reid -- chairman of the
Australian Graduate Management School of the University of New
South Wales and chairman of the Australia Indonesia Institute --
will discuss the future of Australia-Indonesia economic and
business relationship during the two-day visit.

Its schedule includes meetings with Coordinating Minister for
Economy, Finance and Industry Kwik Kian Gie, Minister for Trade
and Industry Jusuf Kalla, and Attorney General Marzuki Darusman,
the embassy said in a statement.

The delegation includes Harold Clough of Clough Engineering
Group, Doug Anderson of P&O Ports Ltd., Walter Mariani of
Americas & Pacific Qantas Airways Ltd and Ron McNeilly of BHP
Minerals.

The delegates will also meet with leaders of the Indonesian
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Business
Development Council and the National Economic Council.

Australia is Indonesia's 11th largest source of direct foreign
investment, focusing on the mining and financial services
sectors, with investments totaling US$902 million from 1967 to
1999.

Two-way trade between Indonesia and Australia in 1999 was
worth approximately A$4.9 billion, according to the embassy.

Key imports from Australia include wheat and cotton, while
Indonesia exports crude oil and paper products.(10)