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)