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Apec ministers seek restart of trade talks
Bangkok, Oct 18: Asia and Pacific ministers have made an urgent call for a new global trade pact to benefit countries rich and poor, and warn that regional hopes of economic prosperity are threatened by terrorism and disease outbreaks such as SARS.
Bangkok, Oct 18: Asia and Pacific ministers have made an urgent call for a new global trade pact to benefit countries rich and poor, and warn that regional hopes of economic prosperity are threatened by terrorism and disease outbreaks such as SARS.
The officials from 21 regional economies wrapped up
two days of talks today, laying out an agenda for a summit of
world leaders next week.
In a draft communique to be released at the end of their meeting late in the day, the trade and foreign ministers called on the World Trade Organisation to restart international global trade negotiations that collapsed in acrimony in the Mexican resort of Cancun last month when many developing nations walked out.
The Cancun impasse, they said, was "a missed opportunity to make real progress on trade liberalisation and to provide a boost for developing economies and their rural poor."
In a copy of today's draft ministerial statement, the ministers promised to step up the fight against terror with measures like tighter controls over production and sales of hand-held anti-aircraft missiles that can shoot down civilian jetliners.
After the SARS outbreak hit parts of Asia hard, devastating the travel industry, members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum said they must better coordinate any future response against infectious diseases or bio-terrorist attacks.
Bureau Report
In a draft communique to be released at the end of their meeting late in the day, the trade and foreign ministers called on the World Trade Organisation to restart international global trade negotiations that collapsed in acrimony in the Mexican resort of Cancun last month when many developing nations walked out.
The Cancun impasse, they said, was "a missed opportunity to make real progress on trade liberalisation and to provide a boost for developing economies and their rural poor."
In a copy of today's draft ministerial statement, the ministers promised to step up the fight against terror with measures like tighter controls over production and sales of hand-held anti-aircraft missiles that can shoot down civilian jetliners.
After the SARS outbreak hit parts of Asia hard, devastating the travel industry, members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum said they must better coordinate any future response against infectious diseases or bio-terrorist attacks.
Bureau Report