MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti) - The summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation countries ended Saturday in the South Korean city of Busan, yielding a final declaration by APEC members.
At the summit, the APEC leaders agreed to take collective measures against bird flu. These measures will include economic cooperation and technical assistance to localize bird flu areas and prevent people from contracting this virus, as well as preparations for a possible bird flu pandemic.
The heads of APEC states approved the Busan "road map" on the formation of a free trade zone in the region. The final declaration of the APEC summit said the Busan "road map" had been adopted in response to new challenges emerging as a result of international trade evolution, as well as for sooner achievement of the Bogor goals set in Indonesia in 1994, which envisioned industrialized nations establishing a zone of free and open trade and investment by 2010, and developing nations doing so by 2020.
The APEC leaders agreed to improve business conditions in the Pacific Rim. They said in their final declaration that they had instructed relevant ministries to tackle the improvement of national regulations to create a favorable business environment in the Pacific Rim. The presidents also hailed the initiative to develop the private sector in the region, as well as recommendations of the APEC Business Advisory Council.
The council's recommendations include strengthening the APEC leading role in the completion of the "Doha Round" of WTO multilateral trade negotiations that was launched in Qatar, in November 2001, consolidating regional financial systems and boosting of the protection of intellectual property rights.
The heads of APEC member states backed new initiatives on nuclear safety, general security and simplification of global trade. They also said they intended to implement the organization's commitments to fight terrorism and ensure secure trade and travels, stressing that they condemned terrorist attacks on the region.
In their final declaration, the APEC countries agreed to deny entry to officials and individuals involved in corruption who seek refuge in their countries. The APEC leaders agreed to take all appropriate steps to strengthen effective measures to prevent and fight corruption and ensure transparency, to deny a safe haven to officials and individuals involved in public corruption, those who corrupt them, and their assets; fight both public and private sector corruption; and cooperate in combating corruption in the region.
The leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations supported Russia's and Vietnam's soonest accession to the World Trade Organization.
Vietnamese First Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung said at the APEC summit that the development of trade and investment sphere in compliance with the road map adopted at the summit would be central on the agenda of the 2006 APEC forum in Vietnam. Vietnam proclaimed sustainable development and prosperity the main topic of the 2006 event.
Promotion of economic and technical cooperation to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, creation of favorable and secure environment for businessmen in the Pacific Rim, and development of inter-regional links will also be on the 2006 agenda.
The leaders of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation countries approved initiatives to combat trade in pirated and counterfeit products, including via the Internet. In their final declaration, they also urged countries to continue work to protect intellectual property in 2006.
Meanwhile, Sergei Darkin, the governor of the Maritime territory in the Far East, said Russia might host the APEC forum in 2012. He said the issue had been discussed behind the scenes at the Busan summit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday after the APEC summit that it had fixed the regional countries' cooperation in defending the principles of free trade. "The summit contributed to uniting all its participants in the fight against international terrorism and developing single approaches to prevention of industrial and natural disasters and establishment of joint mechanisms to overcome their consequences," Putin said.
