Susilo to speak at CNN global forum

Susilo to speak at CNN global forum

Reiner Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Tokyo

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is slated to deliver a keynote
speech at a prestigious CNN global forum via a video linkup in
Tokyo on Wednesday evening as the country's first democratically
elected president faces an uphill battle to convince foreign
investors to come to Indonesia in the wake of the recent bloody
bomb blasts at home.

The CNN forum, to be held in Atlanta to commemorate the
anniversary of the founding of the broadcasting network, will be
opened by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Susilo is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech at 9:40 p.m.
Tokyo time via a live video link from the Asahi TV studios. The
content of Susilo's speech remains confidential, but in his
speeches delivered on various occasions in Washington during a
working visit last week, including one at a forum attended by
U.S. President George W. Bush, Susilo thanked the global
community for the massive tsunami relief aid given to the country
and briefed investors about the key reform programs being
undertaken by his government.

Susilo is on a four-day working visit to Japan, which is aimed
at, among other things, further boosting economic ties between
the two countries and attracting more Japanese investment. Aside
from meeting with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and other top
Japanese government officials, as well as Emperor Akihito, the
president will also meet with Japanese business leaders and
officials from influential trade and industry associations.

On Wednesday morning, Susilo is slated to hold separate
meetings with the president of the Japan External Trade
Organization (JETRO), Osamu Watanabe, the governor of the Japan
Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the president of
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Sadako Ogata.

The next day, the President will have breakfast with
representatives of the influential chamber of commerce, the
Keidanren, to be followed by a one-on-one meeting with a number
of top officials of leading Japanese companies, including
Mitsubishi Corp., Sumitomo Corp., Mitsui & Co., Seiko Epson,
Teijin Ltd., and Matsushita.

Attracting more foreign investment to the country has been one
of the current administration's main programs as investment is
deemed crucial to helping boost economic growth and creating more
jobs for the country's some 40 million unemployed.

During his visit to Washington, Susilo told U.S. investors
that his government was committed to improving the investment
climate at home through various reform measures, such as
combating corruption, cutting down on excessive red tape,
promoting legal certainty, and ensuring a stable macroeconomic
environment. He also said that Indonesia was now moving toward
fully fledged democracy.

But analysts have said that the recent bomb blast near Poso,
Central Sulawesi, which killed 21 people and injured dozens of
others would make it harder for Susilo to market the country as a
safe investment destination. The fact that the incident took
place in Poso, which was the scene of prolonged communal clashes
between Christians and Muslims, raises fresh questions about the
ability of the security forces to prevent and combat
transnational crimes.

"It will be a tough marketing job for the President," admitted
one of Susilo's aides.

During Susilo's visit, the two governments are expected to
sign an agreement to start free trade talks as proposed by a
joint study group in April.

Japan already has free trade agreements with Singapore and
Mexico, and has started talks with a number of other countries,
including Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, all of which
are seen as efforts by the Japanese to counter the growing
influence of China in the region's economy.

Japan is one of Indonesia's main export markets, and its
largest source of cheap foreign loans and foreign investment.