Hartarto asks OIC to focus on economic issues

Hartarto asks OIC to focus on economic issues

JAKARTA (JP): The Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
should now focus more on economic cooperation rather than
political issues to promote the welfare of Islamic countries, a
senior Indonesian minister said yesterday.

"Looking at current changes in our strategic environment, it
is time for the OIC to put more emphasis on economic rather than
political issues," Coordinating Minister for Production and
Distribution Hartarto Sastrosoenarto told journalists after
addressing an Islamic private sector meeting here.

He suggested that OIC member countries start discussing
possibilities of providing each other with trade and investment
facilitations and economic data interchange to enhance their
economic cooperation.

"The next OIC ministerial meeting in Jakarta in early December
should discuss all those issues," Hartarto said. "Usually, what
appears on the surface is politics. But we have to manage it."

Secretary-General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and
Industry Aqeel A. Al-Jassem supported Hartarto's suggestion,
saying it would be included in the chamber's declaration, to be
announced at the end of its meeting tomorrow.

"We have the same view, because our main target is to increase
the flow of trade and investment among Islamic countries," Al-
Jassem told journalists.

When opening the 14th conference of the Islamic Chamber in
Bandung, West Java last week, Indonesia's President Soeharto
stressed the need to enhance the development of OIC member
states, most of which suffer from different forms of
backwardness.

Soeharto said by focusing on economic development in each
member country, the OIC would not only become a respected
political force, but gradually turn into an organization of
economic cooperation which could help Moslems prosper.

Speaking at yesterday's meeting, Hartarto noted that the
volume of trade among OIC member countries is still very small.
Indonesia, for instance, exported merely US$2.79 billion worth of
goods to other OIC countries last year, or 6.1 percent of its
total exports of $45.4 billion. Its imports from the other OIC
countries stood at $2.6 billion, or 6.4 percent of its total
imports of $40.6 billion last year.

Foundation

Hartarto said the Islamic faith actually provides the OIC
member nations with a common heritage which, in turn, provides a
foundation for building stronger economic relations.

"It would encourage economic liberalization with a view to
creating a sound economic environment for integration and
benefiting more fully from the globalization process," Hartarto
said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry Aburizal Bakrie noted that businesses in most Islamic
countries are not really aware of the potential of doing business
with other Islamic countries.

Instead, Aburizal said, they are doing business with their
partners in developed countries, which are notably not members of
the OIC.

"Just look at the businesses in rich Islamic countries like
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Brunei. They invest most of their money
in developed countries," Aburizal said.

He welcomed Hartarto's suggestion on trade and investment
facilitations among Islamic countries, saying that they could
encourage Islamic traders or investors to do business with their
counterparts in other Islamic countries.

If most Islamic businesses hear the calls, Aburizal said,
trade among Islamic countries will double within five years.
Indonesia's trade with Islamic countries could reach up to $10
billion per annum during that period.

"What we need to do now is push for a common understanding
among Islamic businesspeople that there are opportunities to
benefit from the growth of other OIC member countries," Aburizal
said.

The OIC was established in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in May 1971
following a summit of Moslem heads of state and government in
1969 and a meeting of Moslem foreign ministers in 1970.

The conference aims at promoting Islamic solidarity by
coordinating social, economic, scientific and cultural
activities. Projects include the establishment of the
International Islamic News Agency, the Islamic Development Bank,
the Islamic Solidarity Fund and the World Center for Islamic
Education. (rid)