Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has reiterated Indonesias stance regarding the divestment of PT Freeport Indonesia, during his meeting with the US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross.

Luhut told journalists here on Tuesday that Ross had asked him to have a talk, on the sideline of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington DC last week.

"The talk focused on Freeport issues. I told him that I have worked in coordination with the Energy and Mineral Resource Minister and Finance Minister and that the 51 percent divestment is not negotiable. It is the right of the Indonesian government," he stated.

The next problem is to determine whether the divestment should be finalized in 2019 or 2021.

"The second issue is on smelter, and the third issue is on management. Once we have the 51 percent (of shares), it would be fully managed by the government. He did not have any problem with that," he added.

Luhut remarked that he did not hold any talk with the President and CEO of McMoran Copper & Gold Inc., Richard C. Adkerson, although the later had also attended the event.

"I did not meet him. There was a US-Indo meeting and Adkerson was there, but I did not talk to him. It was the Secretary of Commerce who asked for the meeting, and he was happy with my explanation," Luhut revealed. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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