Russia bids to join APEC

Russia bids to join APEC

SEOUL (AFP): South Korea promised yesterday to support
Russia's bid to join the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
forum, officials here said.

The promise was made by President Kim Young-Sam when he was
asked for support for Russia's bid by visiting Russian Prime
Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, an aide of Kim said.

"It will be beneficial that Russia joins APEC," Kim was quoted
as telling Chernomyrdin by Kim's top advisor for security and
foreign affairs, Ryu Jong-Ha.

APEC is a loose regional economic consultative body comprising
18 members, including the United States, Japan, Canada,
Australia, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,
Chile, Southeast Asian Nations and China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

APEC has decided to delay accepting any new member until the
end of 1996 with an agreement that it was time for APEC "not to
enlarge but deepen."

The most likely candidate to become the 19th APEC member is
Vietnam. In addition, Columbia wants to join, but "the general
understanding is that APEC now has too many members," a foreign
ministry official told AFP.

"There is a strong doubt in the region whether Russia belongs
to the Asia-Pacific region," he said.