KEY POINTS:
Prime Minister Helen Clark and 15 other Asia-Pacific leaders have agreed to take steps towards greater regional co-operation.
The leaders gathered yesterday in Cebu in the Philippines for the second East Asia Summit, which groups together the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and New Zealand, Australia, China, India, Japan and Korea.
The idea of a European Union-style bloc is gathering momentum, with Asean members agreeing at the weekend to write a charter that would turn their grouping into a rules-based free-trade organisation by 2015.
Japan has also floated the idea of a larger free-trade bloc that would encompass all East Asia Summit members.
That idea received a boost yesterday with the summit chairman's statement setting out concrete measures to increase co-operation.
Among them was agreement to consider a study on a "comprehensive economic partnership".
It also sets out that the Asean secretariat will be responsible for establishing an institutional structure for the summit to implement its directives.
The statement also formalises regular meetings between officials and foreign ministers under the Asean umbrella.
"We reaffirmed our position that the East Asia Summit is an important component of the emerging regional architecture," said the statement carrying the name of Philippines President Gloria Arroyo.
It said leaders called on World Trade Organisation members to restart the suspended round of Doha talks and on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme and address international humanitarian concerns including a shortage of food and basic medical supplies there.
Leaders also signed an energy agreement aimed at reducing Asia's heavy reliance on fossil fuels and boosting security of supply.
New Zealand officials successfully inserted several climate change-related initiatives into the document.
Leaders also discussed the summit's formal agenda items of education, finance, bird flu and disaster preparedness.
Helen Clark held bilateral talks with President Arroyo and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday. She questioned Mrs Arroyo about the execution-style killings of more than 800 activists and journalists in the past five years and also about the detentions of some opposition lawmakers after a claimed coup plot.
President Arroyo assured her that those detained were receiving a fair judicial process and that she had confidence in a special commission set up to look into the killings.
Helen Clark said New Zealand would look at helping to strengthen the Philippines human rights institutions. She and Mr Wen reiterated their commitment to achieving a free-trade deal by April next year.
Security for the summit is tight, with 8000 troops and police on the streets after several governments warned of a planned hit by al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants.
- NZPA
