Don?t repeat past mistakes in making future gas contracts: President

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono hopes that Indonesia will not repeat past mistakes in making gas contracts with foreign countries, the Koran Tempo newspaper reported in its Tuesday edition.

According to the President, the previous contracts hadled to the current shortage of gas in the domestic market. As a result, two fertilizer plants ? PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda and PT ASEAN Aceh Fertilizer ? were forced to shut down due to lack of supply in gas raw material.

?Starting from this year, we already have our new energy policy. The Aceh case should not be occurred again,? Yudhoyono said during the inauguration ceremony of PT Pupuk Kujang's new fertilizer plant in Cikampek on Monday.

Yudhoyono reiterated that Indonesia will stop its gas sale to foreign countries after 2009.

?Gas export contracts will expire in the next four to five years time. After that the contracts will be revised by reducing the gas exports,? Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono said last month that Indonesia will not export gas after 2009. However, he said that foreign buyers should not worry about the revision of gas contracts because the revision will not affect the existing agreements. (*)