RI-Netherlands forums to hold first conference

JAKARTA (JP): The newly-founded Indonesia-Netherlands Forum (FINED) and its counterpart Netherlands-Indonesia Forum (FNI) will hold their first conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas is slated to officially open the meeting, with its theme on developing a new era in Indonesia-Netherlands cooperation, while Dutch Minister for Economic Affairs G.J. Wijers will deliver his speech at the meeting.

The meeting will discuss various topics concerning politics; the economy and business; education and human resources; social and culture; science and technology; as well as natural resources and ecology.

FINED and FNI were established simultaneously in Indonesia and the Netherlands on Jan. 12.

"The forums are non-governmental, non-political and non-profit oriented. They are meant for dialogs between the two peoples," FINED's chief executive, Frans Seda, told the press yesterday.

The term non-political raised questions yesterday because the forum has a commission on politics chaired by Rudini, a former minister of home affairs, while Radius Prawiro, Emil Salim and Haryati Subadio are involved in its advisory board.

"Non-political means FINED is not involved practically in politics, even though the results of our discussions may become public issues, or inputs for the government," Seda said.

The Dutch embassy's secretary for economic and trade affairs, W. Th. Mohr, said that 65 business executives, who will arrive next week, accompanying Queen Beatrix on her Indonesian visit, will participate in the forums' meeting.

The executives are engaged in the business sectors of food and beverages, paper and pulp, energy, cosmetics, transportation, construction, shipbuilding, dredging, electronics, chemistry, off-shore, finance, telecommunications, steel and cable manufacturing, and textile and plastic industries.

FINED is different from the Indonesia-Netherlands Association (INA), which is a business-like grouping, and the Association of the Netherlands Alumnae (IKANED), which is a social, cultural and educational grouping.

INA's director, Chris Smith, said that INA, the Dutch embassy, the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Foreign Trade Agency will organize, jointly, a floating exhibition called Fairwind 1995, to be held in Tanjung Priok harbor on Aug. 18. Products from about 17 Dutch industries will be displayed on board HMS Van Galen.

Smith said the floating exhibition is aimed at participating in the commemoration of Indonesia's golden anniversary.

Mohr said two navy frigates coming with the Queen Beatrix entourage will sail to East Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan during the queen's ten-day visit, from Aug. 21 to Aug. 31, which is intended to enhance bilateral relations and promote more investment and trade between the two countries.

According to the Dutch embassy, two-way trade between Indonesia and the Netherlands reached 2.5 billion Netherlands guilders (US$1.6 billion) in 1994, consisting of Indonesian exports worth $1.1 billion and imports valued at $500 million.

During their Indonesian visit, the Dutch business delegation will meet with Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economy and Finance Saleh Afiff, as well as a number of other ministers. (kod)