US$22.6 BILLION WORTH OF PRIVATE DEBTS TO MATURE

Jakarta, March 19 (ANTARA) - Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Hartadi Sarwono said a total of US$22.6 billion in private sector debt to foreign parties would mature this year.

"This however will not automatically create pressure because not all of it will be repaid all at once as some of it may be rolled over," he said.

He said the debts consisted of corporate debts reaching US$17.4 billion including US2 billion in interest and trade financing instruments reaching US$5.2 billion such as bankers' acceptance and trade credits.

He said based on the central bank's data 31 percent of private corporate debts came from principal companies. "So the possibility for them to be rolled over is big," he said.

He said 57 percent of the companies that made debts were foreign companies or joint ventures so that the possibility for the debts to be extended would also be big.

He said the central bank continued monitoring the private debts that would mature with regard to preventing pressure on the country's rupiah currency.

"We are always ready to intervene to maintain the rupiah's stability so that that the currency would not flucuate too much," he said.***