President of Mali here for three-day visit

President of Mali here for three-day visit

JAKARTA (JP): The President of Mali Alpha Oumar Konare arrived
here yesterday for a three-day visit aimed at enhancing economic
relations.

After Konare paid a courtesy call on President Soeharto at
Merdeka Palace, Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said that both
countries are working on an agreement to provide a formal base
for economic cooperation.

"He deems this visit as a good opportunity to see the
possibility of enhancing economic cooperation between the two
countries," Moerdiono said.

"Mali produces gold, iron, brass, phosphate, bauxite,
manganese and other minerals which are still under-exploited,"
Moerdiono explained.

A west African republic with a population of 6.9 million
people, Mali has common borders with, among others, Algiers and
Mauritania.

This morning Konare is to hold formal talks on both economic
cooperation and the international situation with President
Soeharto. The two leaders will then join the Friday prayer at the
Grand Istiqlal Mosque.

Tomorrow, Konare, his wife Adame Ba Konare, and his son,
foreign minister Dioncounda, as well as the commander of Mali's
armed forces Mamadou BA, will go on to Bandung, West Java. They
will visit the state-owned military equipment manufacturer PT
Pindad, the Asia-Africa Conference museum and the state-owned
aircraft manufacturer PT IPTN.

Konare will then return to Jakarta before flying on to Hong
Kong for the next leg of his trip. (31)