Conference on future of Indonesia?s oil, mining business to be held in February

The government will hold next February a meeting of government officials and others from the oil and gas sector and the general mining industry to discuss the future of the sectors, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro said Friday.

The meeting will be opened in Bali on Feb. 1, 2003.

Top officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Forestry will attend the meeting, Purnomo told reporters in Bandung.

Purnomo said the government had yet to resolve a number of crucial issues in the mining sector including fiscal policies, mining in protected forest areas and community development. Also, the government has to expedite the drafting of general mining law, the minister said.

The minister said his office would soon produce guidelines on community development programs in mining areas.

?Funds for community development programs be not too big unless mining firms will shoulder too heavy burdens. But the funds should not be too low which could incite protests from local communities,? Purnomo said. (godang)