At the sidelines of the 16th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM) in Nuremberg, Germany, Foreign Minister George Yeo had a short meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. On joint negotiations to conclude the Extradition Treaty and the Defence Cooperation Agreement, both ministers agreed to set an early date for the Foreign and Defence Ministers to meet together with representatives from the armed forces.
On recent Indonesian media reports that the Indonesian Cabinet was presently considering a proposal to ban granite exports, Foreign Minister Hassan clarified that it was not true.
Foreign Minister Hassan also informed Foreign Minister Yeo that an inter-departmental team visited the Riaus last week to investigate the detention by the Indonesian Navy of the barges carrying granite. The team found that some of the barges were in breach of regulations. He assured Foreign Minister Yeo that the verification process would be transparent.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
15 MARCH 2007