Govt., NAA to meet in Singapore over Inalum

By Bambang Atmaja

The Indonesian government and Japanese consortium Nippon Asahan Aluminium (NAA) will meet in Singapore on Tuesday in a bid to solve the dispute over transfer prices of PT Indonesian Asahan Alumunium (Inalum), a minister said here on Monday.

?On Tuesday, (we) will have a meeting again in Singapore,? Coordinating Minister for Economy Hatta Rajasa said at his office.

?But the signing of the final results and others will be done here (in Indonesia),? he said.

Hatta said that the government will refer to the result of the audit (on the assets of Inalum by state comptroller BPKP) per November this year and denied a local media report on Monday, saying that the government has agreed on the transfer price of US$558 million without audit.

?If the audit result says the transfer price is lower (than US$558 million), that will become our guidance (in paying the price). In contrast, should it say the price is higher than that, it will also be our guidance,? said Hatta.

NAA has said it will stick to the US$558 million transfer price whatever the result of the audit will be, a standpoint which the minister dismissed as ?unacceptable?.

Earlier, NAA said it would file a petition to the international arbitration to solve the dispute, but Hatta said the consortium has aborted the plan.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon