U.S. seeking to help RI

JAKARTA (JP): The United States has great interest in Indonesia resolving its economic crisis because of the country's pivotal role in Southeast Asia, a leading Indonesian business figure said on Friday.

Tony Agus Ardie of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) told a news conference that economic collapse in the country would adversely affect the Southeast Asian economy, a major market for American goods.

"The U.S. therefore is greatly helping Indonesia, directly or through the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, to get out of the current economic recession," Tony said.

Tony spoke to reporters after he was unanimously reelected chairman of the Kadin United States Committee for 1998 to 2003.

He added that many American companies were interested in developing agrobusiness in joint ventures with medium-scale enterprises.

"Due to the huge foreign debt overhang of Indonesian conglomerates, foreign investors, including those in the United States, now prefer to deal with medium-scale companies."

The Kadin U.S. Committee, known by its local acronym KIKAS, is a forum of communications and consultancies for promoting Indonesia-American business relationships. The forum provides top priority to small and medium-scale businesses and cooperatives.