President calls for common oil strategy

President calls for common oil strategy

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Agencies): Indonesian President
Abdurrahman Wahid on Sunday, called for a common petroleum
strategy among Southeast Asia's predominantly Muslim nations.

Abdurrahman, stressing he had fully recovered from the flu
which had cast doubts over his Brunei visit, said a joint
strategy among petroleum-rich countries Brunei, Indonesia and
Malaysia would go a long way in the costly area of exploiting
resources and technology.

"Maybe, we could work out a common strategy globally and
internally among the three Islamic countries of Brunei, Malaysia
and Indonesia," Abdurrahman told a news conference at Brunei's
capital Bandar Seri Begawan before returning home after a one-day
working visit.

The Indonesian President said he raised his suggestion for the
joint petroleum initiative during talks with Brunei's Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah.

The sultan's response was not immediately known.

Abdurrahman said Brunei Shell -- a local joint venture with
Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell -- and the state-run
Brunei Petroleum Unit as well as the national petroleum
corporations of Malaysia and Indonesia, Petronas and Pertamina,
"could get together and work something out" in terms of a joint
strategy.

The tiny Brunei sultanate lies on the huge Borneo island,
which is also shared by Malaysia and Indonesia.

Abdurrahman, who arrived early Sunday for a visit to enhance
bilateral ties, also raised the possibility of Indonesia
enrolling students at the University of Brunei's petroleum
faculty.

He said Indonesian students need not go to the West to be
trained in petroleum technology when such expertise was available
in nearby Brunei, which also had the backing of oil experts from,
among other countries, Britain and the Netherlands.

The tired-looking Indonesian leader, 59, was greeted on
arrival at the Brunei international airport by Foreign Minister
Prince Mohamed Bolkiah.

During the visit, Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, who
accompanied Abdurrahman, and his Brunei counterpart Mohamad
Bolkiah, signed an agreement on the prevention of double taxation
between the countries.

It is his first visit to Brunei since becoming Indonesia's
first democratically elected leader last year. He had skipped
Brunei during his tour of Southeast Asia immediately after
assuming office.

The President's doctors on Thursday said Wahid, who cannot
walk without assistance following two strokes several years ago,
was suffering from influenza and advised rest for a few days,
putting his trip in doubt.

But the President insisted on making the trip to the oil-rich
state on Sunday and East Timor on Tuesday.

He told reporters in Brunei that he had fully recovered from
the flu after he followed doctors' orders to rest for two days.

"This seems to have worked. I'm on the road again," said
Abdurrahman, who has travelled extensively since he became
President in October.

Apart from neighboring Southeast Asian nations, the Indonesian
leader has made trips to the Middle East, Europe, the United
States, China and India.

Abdurrahman, who also met the Indonesian community in Brunei,
arrived back at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma airport on Sunday
afternoon.