Hartarto to lead mission at ASEAN talk

Hartarto to lead mission at ASEAN talk

JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating Minister for Trade and Industry
Hartarto will lead the Indonesian delegation to the annual
meeting of economic ministers of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Thursday and
Friday.

The economic ministers of the six-member ASEAN will discuss
regional economic cooperation, including the ASEAN Free Trade
Area (Afta), the Asia and Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),
East Asian Economic Caucus (EAEC) and smaller cooperation
frameworks among member countries.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand.

The ministerial meeting was preceded by a senior official's
meeting which ended yesterday.

Afta Council also held a meeting yesterday to discuss free
trade arrangements.

A spokesman for the office of the Coordinating Minister for
Industry and Trade said yesterday that the ministerial meeting
would be followed by a meeting among ASEAN economic ministers,
Japan's minister of trade and industry and Vietnamese officials.

According to The Bangkok Post, the senior official's meeting
in Chiang Mai reached an agreement on an APEC stance after
lengthy discussions Monday.

The Thai newspaper reported that APEC issues had been
dominated by the foreign ministries of member states rather than
by the trade, commerce or other economic affairs ministries.

Senior officials agreed to shorten from 15 years to 10 years
the deadline for reducing preferential tariffs under Afta to
between zero and five percent, and to include unspecified
unprocessed agricultural products. The new deadline would be Jan.
1, 2003.

The deadline for the so-called fast track program would be
shortened to five years from seven under recommendations adopted
by senior officials, which are to be submitted at the ministerial
meeting for approval. (hen)