Foreign ministry: possibility for ASEAN summit before March 2009

From: , 5 December 2008

Jakarta, (ANTARA News) - It was still possible that the 14th ASEAN summit will be held earlier than planned in March 2009, a senior official said.

Teuku Faizasyah, spokesman for the foreign ministry said here on Friday the Thai government had announced to cancel its plan to hold the 14th ASEAN Summit in March 2009 because of the political crisis in the country.

"Therefore, it is an opportunity to hold the summit earlier than planned," he said.

According to him, hosting the summit should take into account a number of other international programs.

"There are many cases that should be approved by the heads of state/government in the summit before bringing it to an international forum," he said.

Faiza took the Chiang Mai Initiative as example under which a regional agreement on overcoming the global financial crisis should be approved by the heads of state/government after discussing it at a financial ministrial level meeting of ASEAN + 3 and before bringing it to G-20 forum.

By studying all the political developments in Thailand and to maintain the momentum of ASEAN cooperation, the president proposed two urgent matters.

Firstly, to host the ASEAN ministrial meeting at the ASEAN secretariat building in Jakarta was to legitimate the introduction of the ASEAN charter, and secondly, the financial ministrial meeting plus ASEAN + 3 in Bali will discuss efforts to overcome the global financial crisis. (*)

Iran sees no sign of US policy change with Obama

From: , 2 December 2008

Teheran, (ANTARA News/Reuters) - Iran said on Monday U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's comments about its nuclear programme were an indication Washington's stance towards Tehran had not changed.

The remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi, quoted by the ISNA news agency, were the latest by an Iranian official playing down the prospect of improved ties between the two old foes when Obama takes office in January.

Obama has said he would harden sanctions on Iran but also held out the possibility of direct talks. After his election win last month, he called for an international effort to stop Iran developing a nuclear bomb, saying it was "unacceptable".

Qashqavi said future relations between Iran and the United States, which severed ties with the Islamic Republic shortly after its 1979 revolution that ousted the U.S.-backed shah, would depend on Washington.

"One of Obama's conditions for the establishment of ties with Iran has been the cessation of Iran's uranium enrichment which in itself is indicative of lack of change in Washington's perspective towards Iran," he said according to ISNA.

Echoing that line, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Sheikhuleslam, also quoted by ISNA on Monday, said "nothing has changed with the coming of Obama."

The United States is spearheading a drive to isolate the Islamic Republic, the world's fourth-largest crude producer, over nuclear work the West suspects is aimed at making bombs.

Iran, which has repeatedly ruled out suspending its enrichment activities, says it wants to produce fuel for nuclear power plants so that it can sell more of its oil.

Iranian officials have said Obama's victory showed Americans wanted a fundamental change from the policies of President George W. Bush, who branded Iran part of an "axis of evil", but that it remained to be seen whether that would happen.

Obama's choice as new secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, vowed when they were vying to be the Democratic presidential candidate to "obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last month congratulated Obama and called for "fundamental and fair" changes to U.S. policies in the region, but some lawmakers criticised his letter for going too far in making an overture.

Ahmadinejad, who has adopted an uncompromising position on the nuclear issue, said in March that he would have no problem meeting Obama if he was elected.(*)

Bush Says Iran Nuclear Program Still a Threat

From: , 6 December 2008

Washington, (ANTARA News/Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Friday that Iran's nuclear program remained a threat to peace and the United States would not allow Tehran to develop an atomic weapon.

In a speech to the Saban Forum, Bush struck a hopeful tone about prospects for social, economic and diplomatic progress in the Middle East, but criticized Iran and Syria.

The United States under Bush's presidency, which ends Jan. 20, has pressed the United Nations for more sanctions to convince Iran to halt its nuclear program which the West suspects is to build weapons, a charge that Tehran denies.

President-elect Barack Obama has also said that it is unacceptable for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

The West has offered Iran diplomatic and economic incentives to suspend uranium enrichment and would support a civilian nuclear power program, Bush said.

"While Iran has not accepted these offers, we have made our bottom line clear: For the safety of our people and the peace of the world, America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Amid signs of political, economic and social reforms in the Middle East, serious challenges remain, he said.

"Iran and Syria continue to sponsor terror. Iran's uranium enrichment remains a major threat to peace. Many in the region still live under oppression," he said.

Bush defended his decision to go to war against Iraq in March 2003 and topple Saddam Hussein, saying that after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks the United States could not risk the threat Baghdad posed.

"It is true, as I've said many times, that Saddam Hussein was not connected to the 9/11 attacks," Bush said.

But the United States had to decide whether it could tolerate an enemy that supported terrorism and was believed to have weapons of mass destruction, and found "that was a risk we could not afford to take."

Weapons of mass destruction were never found in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion and that is considered a major intelligence failure. In a recent television interview Bush said the faulty intelligence on Iraq was the biggest regret of his presidency.

"Iraq has gone from an enemy of America to a friend of America, from sponsoring terror to fighting terror, and from a brutal dictatorship to a multi-religious, multi-ethnic constitutional democracy," Bush said.

He acknowledged that efforts sometimes fell short, saying "the fight in Iraq has been longer and more costly than expected. The reluctance of entrenched regimes to open their political systems has been disappointing."

Bush said that despite setbacks to Middle East peace such as the Hamas election victory and takeover of the Gaza Strip, the process had moved forward.

"And while the Israelis and Palestinians have not yet produced an agreement, they have made important progress," said Bush, who had hoped for a Mideast pact before he left office.

"They have laid a new foundation of trust for the future."(*)

BI`s 2009 Credit Growth Projection Revised to 19-22 pct

From: , 7 December 2008

Bandung, W java, (ANTARA News) - Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank, has revised its credit growth projection for 2009 from 22-24 percent to 19-22 percent, a BI official said.

"The revision of the projection for 2009 was done following the reduction in the assumed economic growth rate figure in the State Budget and other data," Halim Alamsyah, BI`s director of banking research and regulation, said here Saturday.

Another factor taken into consideration was the prospect of a slowdown in the national economy in the first semester of 2009. "As the finance minister has said, the downturn will happen in 2009," he said.

Meanwhile, the head of BI`s monetary policies bureau, Hendar, said how the situation would develop exactly in 2009 was hard to predict because the world economy was still fraught with many uncertainties.

But the most probable impact of the global crisis would be a decline in economic growth as demand would drop. This condition would also lead to a cut in credit distribution.

"In conjunction with investment growth, the slowing down of consumption will cause banking credit to drop," he said.

Wiwik Sisto Widayate, a researcher at BI`s monetary policies bureau, said the recent uncertainties in the economic environment had made banks very careful in distributing credits. Banks had become wary of stagnant credits.

He said for 2008, credit growth was predicted to remain above 30 percent. In October 2008, credit growth was recorded at 34 percent.(*)

Castro Expresses Willingness to Meet With Obama

From: , 5 December 2008

By Morgan Neill
CNN Bureau Chief

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) - Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says he is open to the idea of meeting with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

"With Obama, one can talk whenever he wants, because we're not preachers of violence or war," the communist leader wrote in an essay published Thursday on a state-run Web site. "He must be reminded that the carrot-and-stick theory cannot be applied in our country."

Friday's missive marked the second time in recent weeks that a Cuban leader has said he is open to meeting with Obama.

In the latest issue of The Nation, actor Sean Penn writes of his recent conversation in Havana with Raúl Castro, who took over as president this year from his ailing brother.

According to Penn, Raúl Castro told him, "Perhaps we could meet at Guantanamo. We must meet and begin to solve our problems, and at the end of the meeting, we could give the president a gift. ... We could send him home with the American flag that waves over Guantanamo Bay."

Obama has called for the U.S. detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay naval base on the island of Cuba to be closed.

Despite the indications that the Cuban leadership is open to warmer relations with its neighbor to the north after 47 years of a U.S.-imposed trade embargo, some in Havana expressed skepticism that the impending change in leadership in the United States will translate in to a changed Cuban policy.

"Obama is a product of the American empire," Carlos Pose said.

But Elisany, a high school student, said she's hopeful. "We've got to wait and see. I hope things change."

Obama Reveals Job-creation Plan

From: , 6 December 2008

(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama on Saturday revealed five parts of his plan to save or create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, and said he will push for immediate action by Congress when he takes office in January.

Obama wants to make public buildings more energy-efficient; repair roads and bridges; modernize schools; increase broadband access; and ensure health care uses the latest technology.

"Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world," he said in the weekly Democratic Radio Address.

"We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won't just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work."

In addition, he said, "It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online."

"In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the Internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the Internet."

"These are a few parts of the economic recovery plan that I will be rolling out in the coming weeks. When Congress reconvenes in January, I look forward to working with them to pass a plan immediately.

"We won't do it the old Washington way. We won't just throw money at the problem.

"We'll measure progress by the reforms we make and the results we achieve -- by the jobs we create, by the energy we save, by whether America is more competitive in the world," Obama added.

On Friday, the Department of Labor released a report showing the economy shed 533,000 jobs in November -- the largest monthly job loss since December 1974. For the year, job losses now stand at 1.9 million.

The unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent in November, up from 6.5 percent in October. It is the highest unemployment rate since October 1993.

The report came out as Congress and the White House wrestled with financial bailout requests from the Big Three automakers -- Ford Motor Company (F, Fortune 500), General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Chrysler -- whose top executives testified this week on Capitol Hill.

Obama asked Americans to "rise to the moment" to put his plans in place, and said his economic recovery team is working on his proposals.

"We need action -- and action now," he said.

'Progress' in US Auto Bail-out

From: 6 December 2008

Progress has been made on a multi-million dollar bail-out deal for the three big US carmakers, officials say.

Congress and the White House are holding weekend talks on the plan after two days of Congressional hearings.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said talks with members of both parties had been "constructive".

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants a vote on the plan next week, and is said to have accepted White House conditions on the source of the bail-out funding.

Bosses from the three big car companies - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler - have appeared before two Congressional committees pleading for $34bn (£23bn) to prevent collapse.

They warn the collapse of any one of them would have disastrous effects on the whole US economy.

The talks follow an announcement on Friday that more than half a million jobs were lost across the US in November, pushing the unemployment rate to a 15-year high in a dramatic indication of the country's worsening economic situation.

Hope of progress

There has been considerable opposition to a carmaker bail-out plan. Critics say the manufacturers need to first show they can be more efficient.

A key stumbling block in the rescue talks had been over a White House stipulation that the aid be drawn from a $25bn fund set aside for the production of environmentally friendlier cars, which President George W Bush wants Congress to modify.

Ms Perino said on Saturday the use of this fund for the bail-out was central to any agreement, along with requirements that taxpayers are protected and that carmakers take tough business decisions.

"Taxpayers should not be asked to finance assistance for automakers without a strong likelihood that they will be paid back," she said.

Congressional Democrats had previously insisted the money should come from a bank rescue fund - known as the Troubled Asset Relief Programme (TARP) - rather than the fund for the production of environmentally friendlier cars.

But according to Congressional sources, Ms Pelosi, a Democrat, was prepared to yield on that condition, and she has suggested that the $25bn fund could be used under certain conditions.

"We will not permit any funds to be borrowed from the advanced technology programme unless there is a guarantee that those funds will be replenished in a matter of weeks so as not to delay that crucial initiative," she said.

"Regardless of the source, all funding needs will be tightly targeted with vigorous supervision and guaranteed taxpayer protection."

The automaker-bail-out plan is a stop-gap measure intended to help the three firms survive until the administration of President-elect Barack Obama takes over in January and can craft a longer-term solution, correspondents say.

Responding to Friday's announcement that 533,000 US jobs were lost in November, Mr Obama called for urgent measures to stimulate the US economy and get people back to work.

"There are no quick or easy fixes to this crisis... and it's likely to get worse before it gets better," he said.