APEC sets 1997 public procurement target

APEC sets 1997 public procurement target

TOKYO (AFP): The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
forum agreed yesterday to develop non-binding principles for
government procurement by 1997 but was sharply divided over the
details, Japanese officials said.

The officials said a group of APEC experts agreed to work
towards the principles "to put broad rules on government
procurement" as one of the free-trade measures to be endorsed at
the group's summit in Osaka next month.

"They were sharply divided over the details," one official
said. "Countries such as Japan, the United States and Canada,
which have already agreed to GATT rules on government
procurement, are supportive.

"But others, including the ASEAN countries, claim it is too
early to include such rules in the APEC agenda," he said,
referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Another Japanese official said the group agreed try to develop
initial principles for government procurement over the next two
years.

"We aim to achieve concrete principles starting in 1997 as a
mid-term project," he said. "Clarifying government procurement is
a major goal."

The 18-member group is in the final stages of preparing an
"action agenda" for the Osaka summit, aimed at identifying how to
achieve the ambitious goal of free and open trade and investment
in the region over the next 25 years.

The officials said the one-day meeting of experts made better
progress in related areas, notably with an agreement in principle
to clarify and promote government procurement in the Asia-Pacific
region.

Research

"The group of experts agreed that APEC members should carry
out research and identify how government takes place," one
official said, adding that members would be required to submit
reports by December.

Japanese officials said the group also agreed to promote the
idea of a data base for businesses to access government
information, possibly on the Internet.

"Countries such as Japan will lead this project," one official
said, noting that the Japan External Trade Organization, an
affiliate of the international trade and industry ministry, had
already set up a similar data base.

Recommendations made by the experts will be submitted to the
group's trade and investment committee this weekend ahead of a
final series of meetings between senior APEC officials in Tokyo
next week to prepare for the summit.

At last year's summit in Indonesia, APEC leaders agreed that
industrialized members should achieve free trade and investment
in the region by 2010 with developing members following by 2020.

APEC groups Brunei, Australia, 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.