Jakarta – Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said here Wednesday the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) had to settle the question of environmental pollution in PT Freeport Indonesia's mining field in Papua this year.

"Do not postpone it again because the loss is increasing from day to day", he said after meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the palace. He said environmental destruction in the copper and gold mining field of the subsidiary of US Freeport McMoran had reached an alarming level and needed a solution.

He said five environment ministers had so far tried to settle it, but without success. "If we do not want the environmental effects, Freeport must be closed down. However what needs to be done is minimizing the effect of the mining operations," he said.