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.