APEC to approve counter-terrorism pact

(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-11-14 13:53

HANOI - Asia-Pacific nations are set to approve a series of measures to fight terrorism in a region that boasts some of the world's highest growth rates, Vietnam's deputy foreign minister said on Monday.

Vietnamese police officers patrol outside the venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Hanoi November 14, 2006. [Reuters]

Achieving a consensus among the 21 nations of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum on the measure was not easy, said Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung, who chaired a conference of senior officials preparing for this week's APEC meetings in Hanoi.

Senior officials approved the report of an APEC Special Task Force on Counter-Terrorism, Phung said in a statement at the end of their two-day conference.

South Korea's Park Sang-ki will be the new chairman of the special task force for the next two years.

"This is a very important result, showing clearly the hosting role of Vietnam, because this is a sensitive area. Many issues of 2006 could only be agreed upon at the last minute," Phung said.

A review of security and anti-terrorism measures since the September 11, 2001 hijacked plane attacks in the United States said terrorism remains a threat.

"Terrorism is now accepted as a direct challenge to APEC's vision of free, open and prosperous trade and an affront to the fundamental values that APEC member economies share," a report circulated among senior officials said.

"It is a threat to the region's economic stability, peace and security."

Among the proposals APEC leaders will be asked to approve include:

- mitigate threat of bioterrorism and collaborate to combat the terrorist threat of deliberate contamination of food supplies

- protect border operations by streamlining communications in the event of an attack

- upgrading aviation security

- counter-terrorism financing workshops

- business continuity plans after an attack

The initiatives will put to APEC's meeting of foreign ministers on Thursday and the leaders' summit on Sunday.

It signals a significant move away from the group's founding goal of bolstering trade and investment around the Pacific rim.

Security officials fear a major terrorist attack would strike a severe blow to APEC economies that account for nearly half of global trade, 40 percent of the world's population and 56 percent of the world's gross domestic product.