ADB CHIEF: ASIA ABLE TO OVERCOME GLOBAL CRISIS JOINTLY

Nusa Dua, Feb 17 (ANTARA) - Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda has expressed optimism that through joint efforts the Asian region would be able to overcome the present global economic crisis.
Kuroda made the remark here Tuesday during an inspection of preparations for the ADB's 42nd annual meeting.
The ADB president was in Jakarta on Monday to meet with Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Among the main topics of the ADB's 42nd annual meeting would be ways in which ADB member countries should respond the global crisis, world climate change, and regional economic integration.
"But we are also going to discuss more specific issue such as a meeting with 67 central bank governors to anticipate the impact of the global economic crisis at national and regional levels," Kuroda said.
He said the global economic crisis was impacting on Asian countries in different ways. But ADB was optimistic that there would be common perceptions in member countries on how to overcome the crisis.
"So, after the meeting, the participants will have a better solution to the problems in their respective countries, although there are special challenges in Asia such as financial markets, the way to encourage exports , the special impact on poor people in addition to financial and fiscal problems," he said.
He said around 3,000 delegates from 67 member countries plus several observer countries , international media , financial institutions, and technocrats from various scientific disciplines, and representatives of international institutions would participate in the 42nd ADB meeting in Bali.
The last time Indonesia hosted an ADB meeting was in 1976 when the ADB marked the 10th anniversary of its presence in Indonesia.