APEC ministers shy away from deadline plan
JAKARTA (JP): Ministers of the Sixth Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum expressed their resounding support for trade liberalization yesterday, but fell short of asserting a common deadline for the process.
"Liberalization of trade and investment supported by development cooperation is the effective way to bring about prosperity in our region," said Indonesia's Coordinating Minister of Trade and Industry Hartarto, who chairs the conference.
Speaking at the commencement of the APEC Ministerial Meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center yesterday, Hartarto called on member economies to work towards a vision through which trade and investment would flow freely.
"Let us therefore sit together and in an atmosphere of cordiality and partnership try our best to achieve a unanimous agreement," he said.
When questioned by journalists later on how much trade can really be liberalized, Hartarto said only that it is still being discussed.
APEC comprises Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher said that for his country, trade liberalization is more than an economic imperative; it is a centerpiece of American foreign policy.
"If we take concrete steps to advance that vision in Indonesia ... we can seize an historic opportunity to lift the lives and standards of all our peoples," Christopher said.
APEC economic leaders will convene in the Bogor Presidential Palace on Tuesday with the issue of a trade liberalization timetable expected to be high on the agenda.
Nevertheless, ministers refused to comment yesterday on whether they would be endorsing a similar timetable for a joint ministerial statement to be released later today.
A number of delegates, who refused to named, said that much of yesterday's discussion on the timetable deadline drew varying responses from almost all members.
Despite the debates inside the meeting room, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Ron Brown, told The Jakarta Post that progress will be made on this issue.
"I really expect that progress will be made in a progress towards a free trade area," he said.
Cooperation
China's Vice-Premier Qian Qichen said that apart from the issue of trade liberalization, it is important for the forum to enhance cooperation in order to reduce economic gaps among members.
"APEC's areas of cooperation should be more comprehensive and extensive," he said
At the meeting, Christopher proposed several ideas, including the establishment of a permanent Asia Pacific Business Forum with the aim of improving efficiency and expanding trade in APEC.
He also called on APEC to develop an education foundation to help reinforce human resources development.
Furthermore he proposed that an APEC transportation ministers meeting be held to facilitate further economic growth.
Agenda
Hartarto said that the meeting yesterday finalized seven of its 13 planned agenda items, among others, an ad hoc group on the Economic Trends and Issues (ETI), trade and investment issues and human resources development and reports of the Eminent Persons Group and the Pacific Business Forum.
The significant achievements of the meeting were the endorsement of the APEC Non-Binding Investment Principles of the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI), adoption of the draft declaration on a human resources developments framework for APEC and another endorsement of a transformation of an ad hoc group on economic trends and issues into a committee, he said.
Alatas, who joined Hartarto in the briefing yesterday, said that with the ad hoc group transformation, APEC has now three full-fledged committees. The first two are the committee on trade on trade and investment and the committee on budget and administration.
The adoption of the draft declaration on human resources has a special meaning for Indonesia because it was originally proposed by that country, he said.
Visiting officials told the Post that the meeting spent a lot of time just to discuss the reports of the Eminent Persons Group and the Pacific Business Forum.
Today's meeting is expected to finalize seven agenda items, including the commercial infrastructure, APEC's vision and work programs, as well as the joint statement of the sixth APEC ministerial meeting. (pwn/pan/fhp/mds)
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