CHINA / President Visits Asian Countries
APEC to approve counter-terrorism pact
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-14 13:53
HANOI - Asia-Pacific nations are set to approve a series of measures to
fight terrorism in a region that boasts some of the world's highest
growth rates, Vietnam's deputy foreign minister said on Monday.
Vietnamese police officers patrol outside the venue for the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Hanoi November 14, 2006. [Reuters]
Achieving a consensus among the 21 nations of the Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum on the measure was not easy, said Deputy Foreign
Minister Le Cong Phung, who chaired a conference of senior officials
preparing for this week's APEC meetings in Hanoi.
Senior officials approved the report of an APEC Special Task Force on
Counter-Terrorism, Phung said in a statement at the end of their two-day
conference.
South Korea's Park Sang-ki will be the new chairman of the special task
force for the next two years.
"This is a very important result, showing clearly the hosting role of
Vietnam, because this is a sensitive area. Many issues of 2006 could only
be agreed upon at the last minute," Phung said.
A review of security and anti-terrorism measures since the September 11,
2001 hijacked plane attacks in the United States said terrorism remains a
threat.
"Terrorism is now accepted as a direct challenge to APEC's vision of
free, open and prosperous trade and an affront to the fundamental values
that APEC member economies share," a report circulated among senior
officials said.
"It is a threat to the region's economic stability, peace and security."
Among the proposals APEC leaders will be asked to approve include:
- mitigate threat of bioterrorism and collaborate to combat the terrorist
threat of deliberate contamination of food supplies
- protect border operations by streamlining communications in the event
of an attack
- upgrading aviation security
- counter-terrorism financing workshops
- business continuity plans after an attack
The initiatives will put to APEC's meeting of foreign ministers on
Thursday and the leaders' summit on Sunday.
It signals a significant move away from the group's founding goal of
bolstering trade and investment around the Pacific rim.
Security officials fear a major terrorist attack would strike a severe
blow to APEC economies that account for nearly half of global trade, 40
percent of the world's population and 56 percent of the world's gross
domestic product.
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