Indonesian Cabinet is not considering granite export ban: Foreign Minister

By Gamar Abdul Aziz, Channel NewsAsia
15 March 2007

INDONESIA: It is not true that the Indonesian Cabinet is considering a proposal to ban granite exports, contrary to recent media reports out of Indonesia.

This clarification comes from Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda.

According to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this was what Mr Hassan told his Singapore counterpart George Yeo at the sidelines of the ongoing 16th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM), in Nuremberg, Germany.

MFA said Mr Yeo had a short meeting with Mr Hassan.

And at that meeting, the Indonesian Minister also informed Mr Yeo that an inter-departmental team had visited the Riaus last week, to investigate the detention by the Indonesian Navy of the barges carrying granite.

According to Mr Hassan, the team had found that some of the barges were in breach of regulations.

And he assured Mr Yeo that this verification process would be transparent.

At the meeting in Germany, both ministers also spoke on joint negotiations to conclude the Extradition Treaty and the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

And they both agreed to set an early date for the Foreign and Defence Ministers to meet together with representatives from the armed forces.


- CNA/so