Asia-Pacific leaders launch crackdown on terror
Asia-Pacific leaders launch crackdown on terror
David Williams, Agence France-Presse, Los Cabos, Mexico
Asia-Pacific leaders were set to wrap up a summit here on Sunday (Monday in Jakarta) with a crackdown on terror, adopting a slew of new security measures and condemning a tide of violence from a Bali car bomb massacre to a bloody Moscow hostage drama.
In a crucial mini-summit here on Saturday, the United States, Japan and South Korea also demanded that North Korea immediately halt its quest for nuclear weapons.
While erecting a stronger anti-terror shield, lining up behind U.S. President George W. Bush, leaders of the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum promised to protect the heart of the global economy -- the free flow of goods and people.
That promise, a central aim of the forum since the Sept. 11 attacks, appeared to be under threat as the leaders met, guarded by warships, an air exclusion zone and a 3,000-strong security force.
Bloodshed in the Moscow theater hostage siege forced President Vladimir Putin to pull out of this gathering, a Bali nightclub blast killed 190 people two weeks ago, and a spate of bomb attacks rocked the Philippines this month.
"President Bush and other APEC leaders issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the recent terrorist attacks in Bali, Indonesia, the Philippines and Moscow, and pledging to accelerate counter-terrorism cooperation," the White House said.
Bush, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi joined other leaders in agreeing to a security response drawn up by the United States.
Known as the Secure Trade in the APEC region (STAR) initiative, it aimed to enhance security while increasing trade, the White House said.
Under the plan, APEC economies will: -- Introduce new baggage screening procedures and equipment in all APEC member airports by 2005. -- Reinforce flight deck doors of passenger aircraft by April 2003. -- Identify and examine high risk sea containers, providing advance electronic information to customs, port, and shipping officials. -- Implement by 2005 common standards for electronics customs reporting. -- Promote ship and port security plans by July 2004. -- Install automatic identification systems on certain ships by 2004.
North Korea's bombshell announcement that it is developing nuclear weapons spurred Bush, Koizumi and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung to present a united public face against Pyongyang.
"North Korea's relations with the international community now rest on North Korea's prompt and visible actions to dismantle its program to produce highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons," they said in a statement.
The allies called on the unpredictable communist state led by Kim Jong-il to dismantle its recently revealed enriched uranium program in a "prompt and verifiable manner" but held out no specific sanctions should it fail to do so.
Senior U.S. officials have refused to rule out the eventual use of economic or other sanctions. Japan and South Korea, both pursuing dialog with North Korea, want to press Pyongyang with words, not action.
On the horizon lies the threat of a U.S. war with Iraq to force President Saddam Hussein to throw down suspected weapons of mass destruction.
"If the UN won't act, if Saddam Hussein won't disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him," Bush vowed at a meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters it was time for the United Nations to wrap up the debate on a tough, U.S.-drafted resolution aimed at disarming Saddam and proceed to a vote.
Russia and France oppose a U.S.-authored draft resolution because they say it provides an automatic trigger for attack in case of non-compliance; China has not backed the measure; Mexico, a current Security Council member, has been cool to the initiative.
Bush later met Indonesia's President Megawati Soekarnoputri and told her he would consider increased U.S. aid to help battle militants tied to global terrorism.
He said that the Bali blast "showed the reach" of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, a U.S. official said.
Business leaders warned APEC not to wreck the economy in their fight to stamp out terrorism.
"We must work together to ensure security against terrorism. We need however to ensure that in pursuing common security, we do not sacrifice the economic openness which is the basis of our economic prosperity," said a statement issued by the APEC Business Advisory Council.