More provinces told to join growth triangle cooperation
More provinces told to join growth triangle cooperation
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will propose the inclusion of more
provinces in sub-regional cooperation projects involving other
members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to boost
the provinces' readiness for trade liberalization in 2003.
"The involvement of more provinces in the sub-regional growth
triangles is urgent because we have only seven years before the
implementation of free trade among ASEAN countries," Coordinating
Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto told the press
after meeting President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace here
yesterday.
ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will liberalize
trade among its members under the ASEAN Free Trade Area
arrangement by the year 2003.
Riau
Hartarto said that the President wanted the inclusion of Riau
in the country's western sub-regional triangle of growth, which
also involves Malaysia and Thailand.
The Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT)
currently includes Aceh as well as West and North Sumatra in
Indonesia, as well as the southern provinces of Thailand and
western states of Malaysia.
Hartarto said Soeharto also wants Bengkulu, South Sumatra,
Lampung and West Kalimantan to be included in the Indonesia-
Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle (IMS-GT), which currently
involves Johor Bahru, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang states in
Malaysia, Singapore and the Indonesian provinces of Riau and West
Sumatra.
The provinces of Central and South Kalimantan, Central, South
and Southeast Sulawesi, South Sumatra, Maluku and Irian Jaya will
also be promoted for involvement in the Malaysia-Philippines
growth area, which currently includes West and East Kalimantan
and North Sulawesi in Indonesia, the minister said.
He said Indonesia will propose the addition of its provinces
in the sub-regional cooperation areas in ministerial meetings
later this year and in 1997. (kod)