PRESIDENT ASKS REAL ECONOMIC GROWTH BE MAINTAINED IN ASEAN+3

Hua Hin, Oct 25 (ANTARA) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the 12th summit of ASEAN plus three (Japan, China, and South Korea) stressed the importance of maintaining real economic growth in every country in the region.

Yudhoyono's visit to Thailand to attend the ASEAN summit is his first overseas tour after he was installed last Tuesday (Oct 20) as the president of the republic of Indonesia for the second successive term of the 2009 - 2014 period.

The president accompanied by several ministers among others Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Tourism and Culture Minister Jero Wacik, Agriculture Minister Suswono and would-be head of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Gita Wirjawan, arrived in Thailand at 11.25 local time.

Presidential spokesman Dino Pati Djalal said that in addition to talk about the importance of maintaining real economic growth in the region, Yudhohyono would also raise the issue of world trade organization negotiations.

The president who would plan to deliver a speech in the Indonesian langugage (Bahasa), would also discuss the Chiang Mai Intiative multilateralization worth 120 billion U.S. dollars which have been agreed by ASEAN plus three.

"Indeed the debate about this issue is rather tough, but certainly we want to, hopefully early in January next year, the Chiang Mai Initiative can start operating," Dino said.

He pointed out that in the ASEAN plus three leaders meeting, President Yudhoyono would also mention the problem of climate change and disaster management.

"Those issues would likely to be raised by the President in the ASEAN plus three," he said, adding the importance of the ASEAN plus three as a forum which will raise the identity of the East Asia region in the full challenge of global conditions.

He pointed out that the emergence of the Chiang Mai Initiative as one of the efforts that demonstrate the role of ASEAN plus three is very relevant to facing the global financial crisis.

"If we see the present world economy, Asia is the motor of economic growth. So in other words we need a stronger East Asian identity and this process is not only an identity but should be filled with a lot of cooperation," he said.

Dino also said there are too many such organizations that overlap in the region, such as ASEAN, East Asia (ASEAN+3, India, Australia, New Zealand), and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) that covers a big country such as the United States.

Besides attending the summit meeting of leaders of ASEAN plus three countries, President Yudhoyono also attended Saturday's summit of leaders of ASEAN and India.

One of the topics to be discussed in these meetings is increasing the trade target between the two sides to 50 billion U.S. dollars.

According to him, the target will not be difficult to achieve because in 2008 alone the volume of trade between ASEAN and India has reached 47 billion U.S. dollars.

ASEAN groups Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.