---------------------------------------------------------- FREE Subscribe/UNsubscribe Indonesia Daily News Online go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Please Visit Our Sponsor http://www.indo-news.com/cgi-bin/ads1 -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Free Email @KotakPos.com visit: http://my.kotakpos.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------- Antara, January 25, 2000 AUSSIE LABOR PARTY URGES PM JOHN HOWARD TO INCREASE AID TO RI Canberra, Jan 25 (ANTARA) - The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has urged Prime Minister John Howard to increase Australian economic assistance to Indonesia following the example of other countries, including the United States and Singapore. ALP spokesperson Laurie Brereton said here Tuesday the additional assistance would be needed by the Indonesian government for its efforts to restore the country's economy and to handle problems caused by riots in some parts of the country such as the provinces of Maluku, Irian Jaya dan Western Nusa Tenggara. Australia should also support the efforts of the Indonesian government is strengthening the rule of law and the upholding of human rights values, Brereton said. Significant assistance from the Australian government, Brereton said, would also strengthen the efforts of both sides at rebuilding their bilateral relations. Welcoming Presiden Abdurrahman Wahid's plan to visit Australia in March, Brereton said there was an improvement in relations between Australia and which had previously deteriorated over the East Timor issue. Sharing Brereton's view, Australian Labour Party (ALP) leader Kim Beazly said Wahid's visit would be a first step towards repairing the damage in relations between Canberra and Jakarta. He said it would be difficult to restore normal relations in a short time. The US government has decided to raise its foreign financial assistance to Indonesia by up to 66 percent, namely from US$75 million to US$125 million. A number of Singaporean investors also came to Indonesia to sound out the possibility of new investments in Indonesia in a show of support to the Indonesian government's efforts speed up economy recovery. Meanwhile, during his visit to Jakarta recently, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said that Australia was providing assistance to Indonesia amounting to US$120,000. (U.LCB-01/NN07/INT-AJM-00:25/RSI-03/TB03) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 31 Jan 2000 jam 09:34:42 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
