Soeharto meets with NAM leaders to strenghten ties
By Rikza Abdullah
CARTAGENA DE INDIAS, Colombia (JP): Pakistan, Nicaragua and the Philippines agreed here on Wednesday to strengthen their economic and trade relations with Indonesia.
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono said the agreements were reached in separate meetings between President Soeharto and Pakistani Prime Minister Benazer Bhutto, Nicaraguan President Violetta Barrios de Chamorro and Philippine President Fidel Ramos.
The meetings were held during breaks in the 11th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which began on Wednesday morning at the Centro de Convenciones.
Moerdiono said Bhutto had expressed an intention to visit Indonesia in the near future to learn about Indonesia's experience in developing its economy while maintaining political stability.
"Because President Soeharto will continue to be very busy for the rest of this year, Prime Minister Bhutto is expected to visit Indonesia early next year," Moerdiono said.
The minister said Soeharto and Bhutto also agreed that Indonesia and Pakistan should send delegations of officials and business people to one another to look for possibilities for economic and trade cooperation.
He said Bhutto had also proposed that the NAM establish a mechanism for dispute-settlement among its members.
Further, Bhutto sought Soeharto's support for Pakistan's intention to join a European-Asian summit meeting, planned to be held in Thailand next March.
Moerdiono said that Soeharto and Chamorro also agreed to exchange delegations, both at the level of government officials and of businesspeople.
"President Chamorro also invited President Soeharto to visit Nicaragua," the minister said.
Moerdiono said Philippine President Ramos reiterated the importance of improvement in the economic cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines, particularly in their bordering provinces.
The two countries, together with Brunei and Malaysia, are promoting cooperation in economic activities in their bordering areas. Their government officials have been organizing a series of meetings to formulate preferential measures and joint services to enhance such cooperation.
Ramos also invited Indonesian companies to take part in a Philippine trade fair in 1998.
Moerdiono said that both presidents pledged support for the third leadership meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, which will be held in Osaka, Japan, next month.
The Osaka meeting is expected to approve programs of action based on last year's Bogor declaration, with the aim of the complete liberalization of trade and investment between APEC's 18 members by the year 2020.
Besides meeting with Bhutto, Chamorro and Ramos, Soeharto also held separate meetings with United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and with Colombian President Ernesto Samper Pisano on Wednesday.
After the two-day NAM summit, which was scheduled to close on Thursday, Soeharto will fly to New York this morning to attend a three-day special commemorative meeting of the United Nations' General Assembly, which marks the organization's 50th anniversary this month.