Indonesia gets $1.7b in loans from Japan

Indonesia gets $1.7b in loans from Japan

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and Japan yesterday signed diplomatic
notes on Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA) loans,
totaling 170.1 billion yen (US$1.7 billion).

The amount constitutes the main portion of the total ODA loans
for Indonesia amounting to 187 billion yen pledged by Japan at
the fourth conference of the Consultative Group for Indonesia in
Paris last July.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas and Japanese Ambassador
to Indonesia Taizo Watanabe signed the diplomatic notes here
yesterday.

The loan agreements were also signed in Tokyo yesterday by
Akira Nishigaki, chairman of the board of Japan's Overseas
Economic Cooperation Fund, and Wisber Loeis, Indonesian
ambassador to Japan.

The documents signed yesterday contain 152.8 billion yen
project loans and 17.3 billion yen sector program loans.

The project loans are for the construction of secondary school
buildings, agricultural development, the improvement of
infrastructure, the conservation of environment and human
resource development.

The sector program loans are to finance small-scale projects
in the field of education, health and social welfare, especially
in remote areas.

Watanabe said yesterday that his government wanted to help the
Indonesian government in promoting its development and
eradicating poverty, especially in the eastern part of the
country.

"I really feel that what is most needed in this country at
this moment is to promote education, more job opportunities and
upgrading the level of hygiene," Watanabe said. (mds/rid)