U.S. to send treasury officials

U.S. to send treasury officials

JAKARTA (JP): The U.S. government will send several senior
officials from its treasury department to assist the economic
team of the new Cabinet in handling the economic crisis.

"The new Indonesian economic team has accepted our offer of
assistance, so the officials will be here in the next two weeks,"
the new U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Robert S.Gelbard, said at a
news conference on Thursday.

Gelbard did not specify the kinds of assistance to be provided
by the officials, but he said they would help the new ministers
handle the crisis and improve relations with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank.

They would also assist the ministers in attracting an inflow
of capital into the country, he said.

He noted that the new government urgently needed an inflow of
capital to lift the country from the protracted economic crisis.

Gelbard said he already met some new Indonesian ministers,
including the economic minister, after arriving here three and a
half weeks ago.

"Kwik Kian Gie and Laksamana Sukardi are excellent choices and
so is Bambang Sudibyo, although I have not met him yet," he said.

Commenting on President Abdurrahman Wahid's plan to improve
bilateral relations with China, the ambassador said he was not
opposed to the idea and that it would no pose threat to U.S.
bilateral relations with Indonesia.

"Indonesia needs all kinds of investors from all countries and
the largest American company here has promised to increase their
investment in the country," Gelbard said. (04)