Swedish mission in town

JAKARTA (JP): A Swedish business mission organized by the International Council of Swedish Industry is in Indonesia to explore business opportunities in the country.

The delegation, led by Per Olofsson, the minister for Swedish Industrial Confederation, will meet with President Abdurrahman Wahid and a number of ministers, and executives of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the National Business Development Council during its four-day visit, which began on Tuesday.

The delegation represents major Swedish companies such as Volvo, Ericsson and Elof Hansson, and will also visit several industrial factories in Surabaya, East Java.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, Indonesian exports to Sweden totaled US$81 million in 1999, a 9.6 percent increase from $73.9 million in 1998.

Indonesian imports from Sweden dropped 33 percent to $156 million in 1999 from $235.3 million in 1998. (07)