EU pledges more aid to RI

EU pledges more aid to RI

BRUSSELS (AFP): The European Commission proposed on Wednesday
to step up its cooperation with Indonesia, despite its worries
over new tensions in the vast country.

In a policy outline, the EU executive branch said the time was
ripe for Brussels to extend more aid to combat poverty and
encourage sustainable development of natural resources.

"What happens in Indonesia matters not just to its people, but
to all of us," said Chris Patten, the former Hong Kong governor
who now is the EU external affairs commissioner.

"We have the prospect of security democracy in one of the
largest countries in Asia, and the biggest Muslim country in the
world," he said. "We must support the reformers."

The policy outline ranks as "moderate" the extent of EU
development aid to Indonesia since 1995 -- a total of 98 million
euros (dollars) committed, with the bulk going to forestry and
irrigation projects.