RI supports Japan's APEC action plans

RI supports Japan's APEC action plans

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto supported yesterday Japan's
action plans for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, which
will be announced at its third leadership meeting in Osaka in
November.

"President Soeharto, after listening to a report from Japanese
Minister of International Trade and Industry Ryutaro Hashimoto,
gave his firm support to the action plans prepared by Japan for
the Osaka meeting," Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade
Hartarto said after accompanying the Japanese minister in a
meeting with Soeharto at the Bina Graha presidential office.

The third summit in Osaka is expected to come up with an
"action agenda" to implement the free trade declaration made at
the second summit in Bogor, West Java, last November.

At their Bogor meeting, APEC leaders agreed that all members
should achieve free trade and investment in the region by 2020
with industrialized members aiming for an earlier deadline of
2010.

Hartarto said yesterday that the planned agenda will include
trade liberalization, technical cooperation and the facilitation
of trade and investment among APEC members.

Hashimoto said that Japan will be responsible for the
formulation of the action agenda to implement the Bogor
declaration.

"With comments from President Soeharto, we are strongly
determined that the Osaka meeting will be a success," he said.

Hartarto said that Japan, with its strong leadership, is also
expected to be able to solve problems caused by differences of
opinion among APEC members.

APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong
Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand and the United States.

Refusal

The minister refused to specify the differences which have
erupted among APEC members. "I do believe that these differences
can be solved by senior officials in their next meeting in Hong
Kong," he said.

The Hong Kong meeting is scheduled for Sept. 12 to 13.

Japanese officials said in June that the United States had
disrupted preparations for the November summit in Osaka by
backing out of a proposed regional free-trade mechanism.

According to the officials, Washington wanted a short-term
approach to freeing trade in the region instead of the long-term
mechanism adopted at the APEC summit in Bogor last November.

Hashimoto said yesterday that he had also discussed efforts to
promote bilateral relations between Japan and Indonesia and
explained Japan's newly announced measures aimed at increasing
Japanese investment overseas and curbing the appreciation of the
yen. (riz)