EU Provides Aid for 6 Asian Countries, Regions

   BRUSSELS (Dec. 14) XINHUA - The European Union (EU) has 
provided humanitarian aid of 5.89 million European currency 
units (about 6.95 million U.S. dollars) for six Asian 
countries and regions, the European Commission said here 
Monday.
   The commission, the EU's executive body, said the Asian 
countries and regions that have received the humanitarian 
aid for various projects are the Democratic People's 
Republic of Korea (DPRK), Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, 
Burma and French Polynesia.
   The total aid, managed by a EU aid agency, the European 
Community Humanitarian Office, will enable international 
and non-governmental organizations to carry out projects 
over the next three to six months.
   For the DPRK, the EU provided fuel, winter clothes and 
blankets for children with a total of 2 million ECUs (2.4 
million dollars).
   For Indonesia, Laos and the Philippines, the countries 
suffering from natural disasters, the EU provided a total 
of 3.09 million ECU (3.6 million dollar) aid, with 
Indonesia obtaining the sum of 1.5 million ECUs, Laos 
890,000 ECUs and the Philippines 700,000 ECUs.


PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT TO VISIT LAOS

   HANOI, Dec 15, 1998 (Asia Pulse via COMTEX) --  After 
Vietnam and Thailand, President Joseph Estrada will next 
visit Laos, the date which visit however, has yet to be 
set.
   Presidential spokesman Gerry Barican said President 
Estrada has accepted in principle Lao Prime Minister 
Sisavat Keobounphan's invitation for him to visit Laos 
during their bilateral meeting here Monday afternoon.
   Barican said the Lao leader has likewise agreed to visit 
Manila, possibly early next year.
   He said the President's decision to visit Laos was 
primarily premised on his desire to know more thoroughly 
his ASEAN counterparts and to benefit from such 
acquaintances.
   In the case of Laos, he said, President Estrada 
considers the potential benefit of learning from their 
agriculture expertise, the Lao Prime Minister being the 
country's former Agriculture Minister.
   Like President Estrada, Prime Minister Keobounphan is 
also new to his post having been elected to office only 
recently
   During the one-on-one meeting here Monday afternoon, Mr. 
Estrada reiterated his stand that the Philippines will 
interpose no objection to Cambodia's entry into ASEAN 
provided such decision is reached consensually in 
accordance with the ASEAN tradition on major issues.
   (PNA)


Japan vows 8 bil. yen loans for Mekong development
 
   HANOI, Dec. 16 (Kyodo) -- Japan's Prime Minister Keizo 
Obuchi on Wednesday pledged 8 billion yen in loans to 
Thailand and Laos for a joint project to build a second 
bridge linking the two countries over the Mekong River, a 
Japanese government official said.
   The two nations will each take 4 billion yen, the 
official said.
   Obuchi outlined the financial assistance in separate 
meetings with Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and Laotian 
Prime Minister Sisavath Keobounphanh, the official said.
   The talks were held on the sidelines of a summit meeting 
of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders 
and their counterparts from Japan, China and South Korea.
   Obuchi was quoted as telling Chuan that Japan plans to 
provide 1.85 billion dollars in assistance to Thailand as 
part of Tokyo's 30 billion dollar financial support for 
Asia.
   Tokyo is also considering having the Export-Import Bank 
of Japan guarantee commercial bank lending and setting 500 
million dollars worth of trade insurance for industrial 
infrastructure development, Obuchi added in a meeting with 
Chuan.
   Obuchi told the Laotian prime minister that Japan plans 
to to provide grants-in-aid to the country to help the 
disadvantaged.