RI EAGER TO FURTHER STUDY RUDD'S PROPOSAL TO FORM ASIA-PACIFIC UNION

Jakarta, June 6 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian government is eager to make a deeper study on Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's recent statement in which he proposed the creation of an Asia Pacific Union, similar to the European Union, by 2020, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "We are interested in studying it further ... but it is too early to comment on the statement carried by the media (without further explanation)," Teuku Faizasyah said here on Friday. The government could not comment on the statement without studying its substance, he said. "We need time to study it further," he said. He said the Australian premier would likely explain in detail the idea of creating an Asia Pacific Union to the Indonesian government during his planned visit in Jakarta next week. Asked about the possibility of the proposed Asia-Pacific Union and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) overlapping, he said Rudd had certainly taken the matter into account. "But we don't know it yet," he said. Rudd proposed the creation of an Asia-Pacific Union on Wednesday (June 4). While ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and APEC had made progress, there was need to deal with the growing challenges of the region, Rudd said. Rudd said the Asia-Pacific Union, which would include the United States, Japan, China, India, Indonesia and the other states of the region, would encourage cooperation and action on economic, political and security issues but also develop a sense of togetherness. Rudd who assumed office in November 2007 is scheduled to visit Indonesia next week on the last leg of a three-Asian nation tour which will also take him to China and Japan.