Security not an issue: British minister

Security issues have never been an obstacle for British investment to come to Indonesia, and the British government will continue to support Indonesia in the current economic situation, an envoy has said.

Visiting British Minister for Energy and Industry Brian Wilson said on Tuesday after meeting Vice President Hamzah Haz that the British oil industry and other companies would invest more in Indonesia in the near future.

"It (security) was not raised as an obstacle to investment ... I have not found any perception that Indonesia is not a secure recipient for investment," Wilson said in a media briefing.

"We continue to see a range of opportunities for cooperation," he added.

He further said that oil company British Petroleum would put some US$3 billion of new investment into the Tanggung liquefied natural gas project in Irian Jaya, to add to the existing investment worth $11 billion.

Last year, Britain was the second-largest foreign investor in Indonesia after Japan, but mostly in the oil and gas sector.

"Next year, there will be a conference in London on oil and gas, maybe with high-level representation from Indonesia," said Wilson, adding that the conference would be similar to the one that took place in Houston, USA, in September.

Continuing anti-U.S. rallies in the country, following the U.S-led military strikes in Afghanistan, spread fear among many foreign investors, especially from the U.S. and its allies.

Britain cooperated in the military strikes when they started on Oct.6, in response to the Sept.11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

"We had a constructive meeting with the Vice President; we talked about our investment in Indonesia ... and we also discussed other international issues," Wilson said.

He added that the Vice President had asked the British business community to consider investing in fields other than oil and gas, such as agriculture and fisheries. -- JP