Jakarta, Rotterdam sign agreement

Jakarta, Rotterdam sign agreement

JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Rotterdam Mayor Ivo W. Opstelten and
Governor Sutiyoso have signed an accord covering three main areas
to maintain their sister-city agreement.

Witnessed by Dutch Ambassador S. Baron van Heemstra, the
agreement, signed on Thursday at City Hall, will be effective for
four years from 2001.

The agreement will cover the management information system,
waste and river management and revitalization of the city's older
sections in the Sunda Kelapa area of West Jakarta.

According to a tentative schedule, the visiting mayor and his
entourage will visit several historical buildings and sites in
the area on Saturday.

Sutiyoso said, "It's important to focus our cooperation and
the three areas are the result of this consideration."

The governor also asked his visiting counterpart to resume
business activities at the International Trade and Distribution
Center (ITDC) in Rotterdam to help promote the exportation of
various Indonesian products.

Opstelten said the two cities were the center of trade and
distribution in their respective country.

"Jakarta, just like Rotterdam, is an important center for
trade and distribution; therefore, we understand each other," he
said.

"That's why we also encourage cooperation between both cities'
chamber of commerce and industry," said Opstelten.

The sister-city agreement between the two cities started in
1986 and there have been several projects over the years.

Opstelten acknowledged that he could not estimate the exact
budget to be spent on the realization of the signed cooperation,
saying that it would only provide exchange programs for
knowledge, experience and personnel between the two cities.

"We will, for example, provide second opinions on problems
faced by the Jakarta administration," he announced after the
ceremony.

Sutiyoso said the mayor was surprised to hear that security in
the city was intact.

"He was surprised because the state of security here wasn't
what he had in mind before he arrived," he said.

Opstelten acknowledged he was worried about security in the
capital, but was confident the governor would be able to manage
it.

"I was very satisfied when Governor Sutiyoso told me that he
would continue to restore public order to the city. I will help
those efforts, especially with our own experience," he said,
without further explanation.

"Although we are concerned with the current situation here,
it's my responsibility to keep maintaining relations between the
two cities," he added. (07/nvn)