Australia, S'pore sign deal

Australia, S'pore sign deal

SINGAPORE (DPA): Singapore and Australia have signed a wide-
ranging deal on information technology valued at between S$40 and
$50 million (US$24 30 million), Singapore television reports said
on Monday.

The agreement, signed by visiting Deputy Prime Minister Tim
Fischer and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, includes
initiatives to speed up commercial and industry exchanges,
encourage trade and investment and coordinate electronic
commerce.

The signing of the agreement marked the start of two days of
inter-governmental talks in Singapore, with the aim to strengthen
bilateral ties between the two countries amidst continuing
uncertainties in the region.

The second meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint
Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) in the tropical city-state had to
deal with a wide range of bilateral and regional subjects,
Singapore's Foreign Minister Shanmugam Jayakumar stressed in his
opening speech.

One of the top issues will be the developments in Indonesia
and East Timor. Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer is
due to give a keynote speech at the Institute for Defense and
Strategic Studies (IDSS) in Singapore on Tuesday.