Japan also urges the Government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to cooperate in such undertakings. Japan, as a member of the G8, intends to continue its contribution to the political solution. Yesterday the DAC Secretariat released preliminary data for the calendar year 1998 ODA from its members. I distributed certain papers on this subject. Concerning Japan's ODA performance, I would like to highlight a few points.
Japan is the largest donor for eight consecutive years.
Therefore, ODA increased its relative importance for the financing of developing countries. The increase of Japan's ODA volume and its percentage to GNP was the result of its strenuous efforts, despite the difficult economic and budgetary situations. In particular, quick-disbursing loans to countries affected by the Asian economic crisis was reflected in this performance. These are my preliminary comments on these ODA figures. My last topic is concerning the recent election in Indonesia.