JAMALUDDIN JARJIS SAYS HIS MEETING WITH OBAMA WAS "GOOD AND CORDIAL"

By Manik Mehta

WASHINGTON, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Dr Jamaludin Jarjis, Malaysia's ambassador
to the United States, said that his first meeting with US President Barack Obama
was "good and cordial".

Jamaluddin, who presented his credentials to the US President on Nov 4, is
the first Malaysian ambassador to be received by Obama.

Although he had to wait for some time since his arrival in the United States
for a date to present his credentials and be formally installed as the Malaysian
ambassador in the USA, Jamaluddin can now officially assume his responsibilities
as the Malaysian envoy in the country where he discerns "excellent potential" to
develop bilateral relations.

There are a range of issues of bilateral interest to both sides, one of
which is the fate of a free trade agreement (FTA).

Malaysia is also interested in getting more investments from and increasing
trade with the United States.

Jamaluddin said he believed that Malaysia could also become a valuable
source of investment in the United States as more and more Malaysian companies
identify investment opportunities abroad.

"Malaysian companies ought to take advantage of the opportunities available
to them in the United States, which is a very open country for foreign
investors," he said on the sidelines of a friendly golf and bowling tournament
hosted by the Malaysian embassy here Sunday.

The tournament is between the embassy's staff in Washington DC and the staff
of Malaysia's permanent mission to the United Nations and the consulate-general
in New York.

Among those present were Malaysia's permanent representative to the United
Nations, Hamidon Ali, and his wife, Amy Hamidon, and New York-based
Malaysian Consul-General M. Zamruni Khalid and his wife.

Both Jamaluddin and Hamidon exchanged memorabilia at the end of the
tournament as a gesture of goodwill.
-- BERNAMA