RI must meet IMF terms: U.S.

RI must meet IMF terms: U.S.

WASHINGTON (Agencies): The Clinton administration Tuesday warned the government of President Soeharto to follow through on International Monetary Fund (IMF) mandated economic reforms and expressed concerns over human rights abuses in the country.

"The aid is in serious jeopardy if he doesn't meet the obligations he has to the IMF facility. One of the things he has pledged to do is to create greater transparency and diversification of the ownership of several enterprises," White House spokesman Mike McCurry said.

He said the administration believed the faster Indonesia carried out economic reforms, the faster the economy would stabilize and the quicker social unrest would subside, Dow Jones reported.

"We think he (Soeharto) should carry out the IMF approved economic reform program and... carrying out those reforms is, no doubt, one way we can lend greater stability to the situation."

McCurry added that the White House took a dim view of the Indonesian government's pledge to restore order through a military crackdown. "We have been very critical of the Soeharto regime for their handling of protests, and we have raised significant human rights concerns about that."

In Jakarta, British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, on a whirlwind visit, also urged Indonesia to pursue the reforms.

"Indonesia knows that the eyes of the world are now upon it. Reform is vital to the peoples of Indonesia. It is the poor and disadvantaged that have the most to lose if reforms fail," Brown said in a speech at the Jakarta Stock Exchange.

"It is vital that the authorities take the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to securing the economic stability and reform which is vital to the people of Indonesia," he said.