Senior officials of APEC forum hail EPG report

Senior officials of APEC forum hail EPG report

By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Senior officials of the 17 members of the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum yesterday gave a
positive response to a report by a special task force which
recommended the implementation of free trade by the year 2020.

"Many gave their support to the thrust of the report ... They
reacted positively," said Indonesia's Wisber Loeis, who chaired
yesterday's meeting of APEC officials.

In a presentation during the opening day of the third APEC
Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) here yesterday, the chairman of
the forum's Eminent Persons Group (EPG), C. Fred Bergsten,
elaborated on the call for the adoption of a definite timetable
for trade liberalization.

"Many expressed their approval of the long range objectives
contained within the report," said Wisber, who is also the
director general of foreign economic relations at the foreign
ministry.

The second EPG report titled Achieving the APEC vision, calls
on APEC leaders to adopt a timetable for the establishment of
comprehensive free trade within 20 years time, beginning in the
year 2000.

Established in 1992, the EPG is made up of 16 experts from
APEC members designed to develop a vision for trade in the
region. It's initial report was released just prior to the APEC
leaders meeting on Blake Island, Seattle, last year.

The second report was concluded in August and presented to
President Soeharto, as chairman of the forum, on Aug. 31.

Barriers

The report stipulates that within the forum, developed
countries such as the United States must reduce all trade
barriers by 2010, Newly Industrialized Countries such as South
Korea by 2015 and developing countries such as Indonesia by 2020.

APEC groups Canada, the United States, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan,
Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand and
Papua New Guinea.

"Nobody was signing up or saying that we endorse it all, but
they were all very complementary," remarked Bergsten when queried
on his perception of the APEC delegates' reactions.

After hearing from Bergsten, the APEC SOM then deliberated
further on the EPG report. Participants will draft their
conclusion to be submitted to the sixth APEC Ministerial Meeting
in Jakarta on Nov. 11-12.

Despite the reportedly positive response, Wisber would not
reveal if the SOM would recommend the adoption of the report at
the end of the meetings tomorrow.

"No one raised any complaint about the report but if it is
about the details I'm sure there are some, only this wasn't
raised in the meeting," he said.

Bergsten himself modestly commented that he did not expect the
recommendations of the EPG report to be wholly accepted.

He asserted that the EPG's role was to give recommendations
that would lay out an ambitious vision for APEC.

"I think everyone who spoke said they very much appreciated
our report and that we had done our job of challenging them and
laying out a bold vision," Bergsten said.

When asked by The Jakarta Post concerning his own personal
view of the EPG report, Wisber gave a nodding response saying
that the report had considered the remarks made by APEC countries
after the first EPG report last year.

They have weighed well the sensitive issues and been able to
avoid them, Wisber said without elaborating.

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