Habibie praises Australia

Habibie praises Australia

JAKARTA (JP): Impressed with its technological ability, Indonesia has asked Australia to develop the Asia-Pacific region into a "center of excellence".

The call was voiced on Saturday by State Minister for Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, who is on a ten-day visit to Australia.

In a televised interview, he also tried to explain why Indonesia earlier lacked an appreciation for its southern neighbor's technological advances, opting instead to send students to western Europe, the United States or Japan.

Indonesia "looks up" to those countries, he said, "because most top Indonesian scientists and engineers have been educated in those countries."

Furthermore, "they have been more involved in Indonesian development by providing capital and technological assistance", Habibie was reported as saying by the Antara news agency.

The interview will be broadcasted by ATVI international television this afternoon.

Habibie, who is also the president of the Indonesian aircraft industry PT IPTN and chairman of the Board of Strategic Industries, is being accompanied by around 50 officials, including leaders from his agencies. (swe)