U.S. seeks APEC's commitment to implement antiterror drive
U.S. seeks APEC's commitment to implement antiterror drive
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The United States will not push forward its antiterrorism campaign at the upcoming meeting of APEC leaders later this month in Mexico, but it will urge the regional economic cooperation forum to implement its commitment to the drive.
The stance was made despite Washington's concern of the security issue following last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.
The U.S. certainly wants to make sure that the economic progress made in the Asia Pacific region over the past 15 years, which slowed down with the 1997/1998 crisis, is redressed to bring about recovery and better sustainable growth in the region, said Lawrence Greenwood, a U.S. senior official for the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Citing the important contribution of APEC's economic health to global economies, Greenwood said it was also in Washington's interest "to see a continued open competitive market and economic reforms in APEC members so that Asia can again become the fastest growing and most dynamic region in the world".
Speaking in Washington to panelists in Jakarta and Manila through the World Net Dialogue program, Greenwood noted that the APEC discussion in the Mexican city of Los Cabos on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 would focus on implementing APEC's vision agreed upon by leaders of APEC's 20 member countries during their summit meeting in Shanghai last year. Those goals targeted for implementation include improved mechanisms for implementing APEC commitments and identification of trade initiatives and priorities.
To achieve these goals, he added, other issues, such as transparency in an investment climate, environmental certainty and good governance would also be discussed.
Indonesian panelists included Ibnu Hadi, the deputy director for APEC in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Raymond Atje, the economic researcher of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The security issue is (also) essential to assure continual growth in the region while maintaining an efficient and beneficial transportation system and management of legal goods and people, Greenwood said.
The panelists asked Greenwood whether APEC programs were still relevant to and could benefit the people of developing countries, such as Indonesia, and what APEC would do to members who backtracked on their commitments to an open market and free trade.
Greenwood replied: "The expansion of trade and investment will create jobs to boost people's incomes, while an open market will allow people to compete fairly.
"Also, APEC has been working out, for years, programs that will give them better access to health care and education."
As APEC agreements are non-binding, the most effective pressure for those who backtrack, besides APEC's mechanism, "is the mechanism of the marketplace itself, which will not be favorable to investment and growth".
APEC was set up in November 1989 and designed to boost regional economic cooperation and investment liberalization. It currently has 20 member countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China (including Hong Kong as member economy), Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.