Foreign ministers unite against terrorism

By JOHN ARMSTRONG

SHANGHAI - Foreign ministers across the Asia-Pacific region last night signed up to a two-pronged strategy to counter the al Qaeda terrorist scourge and avert the global economy plunging into recession - but avoided endorsing military strikes against Afghanistan.

The 21 Apec foreign ministers have recommended a flurry of counter-terrorism measures with the emphasis on getting members to ratify United Nations conventions to dry up the covert funding of terrorist groups, such as Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Meanwhile, the concluding statement from the two-day ministerial meeting in Shanghai produced Apec's strongest push yet for an end to the deadlock at the World Trade Organisation and the resumption of negotiations to break down global trade barriers and kick-start growth.

Before returning to New Zealand, Foreign Minister Phil Goff hailed the symbolic significance of the stand on terrorism in bringing the United States, Russia and China together in strong consensus alongside other Apec cultures and nationalities.

The sentiment at the foreign and trade ministers' meeting sets the scene for the Apec leaders' summit, which begins in Shanghai tomorrow. President George W. Bush was scheduled to arrive overnight (NZ time), as was Helen Clark.

The ministers' recommendations - which cover such things as aviation security, border controls and protection of oil and natural gas supplies - will be incorporated into a special declaration that will be issued after the leaders have finished their meeting on Sunday.

But there is no obligation on individual Apec members to implement agreed measures hammered out yesterday in the presence of US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The final declaration, while "unequivocally condemning" terrorist acts against all societies, cultures and faiths, is highly unlikely to make mention of the US and British air strikes, out of deference to Apec members like Indonesia, whose Muslim populations are bitterly opposed to the military action.

Last night Mr Powell dismissed suggestions that Apec was split over the US-led military campaign. He said he had received "uniform understanding" among foreign ministers that the terrorists had to be brought to justice.

However, he acknowledged that some countries had expressed the hope that military action would be over quickly.

On trade, the foreign ministers, worried by the downturn in the US even before the September 11 attacks, accepted that a failure by the representatives of key powerhouse economies to make a strong commitment to new global trade talks would seriously undermine business confidence worldwide.

To avoid that, they "firmly underlined" a commitment to "open regionalism" as well as strong support for the WTO.

Full coverage: Apec 2001