Washington, Oct 21: The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, though set up to deal with trade and the economies of the region, is now expanding its horizon to include security issues as well, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said. "What is important at this meeting (in Bangkok), is that the APEC, which has always been a trade and economic organisation, is now going to extend its reach and start talking about security issues, whether it is proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or terrorist activities, because they are interlinked," he said.
Pointing to the arrest of alleged terror mastermind Hambali in Thailand and other responses to the US terrorist or counter-terrorist initiatives over the past years, Powell said, appearing on a TV interview yesterday, everybody has realized now that terrorism was not a problem just for the United States.
What happened in Bali, in the Philppines and around the world makes it clear to everyone that this is an international problem and "we have to come together," he said.
Bureau Report