Sydney pips Brisbane to host Apec leaders' meeting

CANBERRA - The 2007 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum leaders meeting will be held in Sydney, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.

The meeting, which attracts some of the world's most important leaders, including the United States President and the leaders of China, Russia and Japan, is likely to be held in September.

"This will be not the largest assembly of world leaders in Australia's history, but in terms of the weight and influence it will certainly be the most significant international meeting to have been hosted by Australia," he said.

The main leaders' meeting would be held in Sydney.

"There will be a lot of other meetings - ministerial meetings and official meetings associated with the leaders' meeting - and it will be our intention to spread those meetings around Australia as much as possible," Howard said.

"We're certainly very keen to hold as many of those other meetings as we can in other parts of Australia, including all of the states of Australia."

Howard said negotiations were continuing over the hosting of the G20 finance ministers meeting, which is to take place in Australia in 2006.

Howard said it was the quality of Sydney's facilities that led him to choose the city for the main meeting.

The only real competition that Sydney faced was from Brisbane, for which the Queensland Government put forward a significant proposal, Howard said.

"I think Sydney will do it very well and I have no doubt that we will have the full co-operation of the New South Wales Government," he said.

Howard also chose Sydney because of its hotel facilities.

"I am not denigrating the hotel facilities of Brisbane for a moment.

"I use them very frequently and I am always given a very warm welcome in Brisbane," he said.

Howard said Queensland Premier Peter Beattie was understanding when told about the decision.

The Prime Minister said details of the meeting's location were not yet available.

- AAP