Soeharto meets with NAM leaders to strenghten ties

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.