Australia, Indonesia to look into possible free trade agreement
Associated Press | July 26, 2007
Australia, Indonesia to look into possible free trade agreement
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Australia’s prime minister said he wants to discuss the possibility of setting up a free trade agreement with Indonesia when he meets with the country’s president on Friday.
Prime Minister John Howard will meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Bali island after opening an eye hospital there built to honor the memory of the 202 people killed in the 2002 nightclub bombings. Eighty-eight of the victims were Australians.
Howard said hoped to discuss with Yudhoyono a recommendation by both nation’s trade ministers to study the possibility of setting up a bilateral free trade agreement.
"Our trading relationship is an important one: Indonesia ranks 10th on our list of export destinations," Howard said in a statement released Thursday. "I am keen to explore how it can be further strengthened."
Free trade agreements try to ease the movement of goods and services between nations by removing restrictions such as taxes, legislation and tariffs, as well as government subsidies.
