Asia Pulse, Wednesday January 29, 2003 11:47 AM
Dutch, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministers Discuss Cooperation
BRUSSELS, Jan 29 Asia Pulse - The foreign affairs ministers of the Netherlands and
Indonesia on Monday discussed their countries' cooperation and the Dutch
government's offer to grant Indonesia a US$12 million floating hospital.
"(Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer) also offered other cooperation,
including those in law enforcement, the fight against terrorism and international
crimes, as well as training for Indonesian judges," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister
Hassan Wirayudha said.
Hassan is here to attend the 14th ASEAN-European Union Ministerial Meeting on
January 27-28.
Before attending the meeting, Hassan also met with British Foreign Affairs Minister
Jack Straw and Belgian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Annemie Neyts-Uyttetroeck.
On his meeting with Annemie, Hassan said they discussed Belgium's request to the
Indonesian government to release a Belgian ship being held by security authorities in
Riau island since July last year for quarrying sand from Indonesian waters and
transporting it to Singapore.
She said the ship's crew members did not know that they were digging in Indonesian
territory, Hassan added.
However, he said that what had been done by the Belgian ship was merely a criminal
act and that it has been processed in court.
The foreign ministers of 10 ASEAN countries and the 15 member countries of the EU
on Monday adopted a Joint Declaration on Cooperation to Combat Terrorism, which
commits them to work together by strengthening ties between law enforcement
agencies from both sides, including the EUROPOL and the ASEANAPOL.(ANTARA)
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