French, Vietnamese envoys meet Soeharto

French, Vietnamese envoys meet Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto expressed his appreciation
yesterday for France's commitment to boost its economic ties with
Indonesia despite the financial crisis here.

"French cooperation in the economy and its development
assistance has strengthened our development process," Soeharto
said after receiving the credentials of new French Ambassador
Gerard Cros.

France is one of Indonesia's main trading partners in Europe.
Imports from France in 1996 amounted to US$1.06 billion while
exports to the West European country were worth $519.8 million.

Cros reminded Soeharto that France and Indonesia signed a
finance protocol worth 507 million francs (US$83.1 million) in
December to fund sea transportation and port cooperation
projects.

"France is interested in stepping up mutually beneficial
cooperation between the two countries," Cros said.

Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Dang Quang also presented his
credentials to Soeharto yesterday.

"The cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia has recently
increased, especially after Vietnam joined the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations," Soeharto said.

Ambassador Dang Quang said the two nations shared a common
desire to turn the region into a zone of peace, stability and
cooperation. (prb)