Busan is good

The Busan Roadmap

Contents

A Blueprint for the Future of the Region

 

President Roh Moo-hyun, chairman of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum will make an announcement on the last day of the summit, November 19. The Busan Declaration will be due for adoption at the Nurimaru APEC House which is the secondary summit venue for the 21 Asia-Pacific leaders including U.S. president George W. Bush, Chinese president Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

▲The Busan Declaration and the Busan Roadmap

21 Asia-Pacific leaders are expected to adopt a statement promising concerted efforts for progress in free trade, a safe Asia Pacific, and closer cooperation to narrow the disparities in economy and technology. They will also assess the progress of the Bogor Goals set out at the APEC summit in Indonesia in 1994, and conclude with the 'Busan Roadmap to the Bogor Goals', a guideline for achieving those goals. The Bogor Goals include establishing free trade agreements (FTAs) among members to liberalize trade and investment; for developed countries by 2010 and for developing countries by 2020.

The Busan Roadmap provides the policy direction to create a business-friendly environment within the regional trade bloc by improving behind-the-border measures such as domestic regulations and transparency as well as border measures including further cuts in tariffs. It also includes developing comprehensive models on key issues of regional free trade agreements such as rules of origin, service and investment by 2008.

Kim Jong-hoon, ambassador for APEC and the SOM(Senior Officials' Meeting) Chair said Monday that "the second draft of the Busan Roadmap was sent to (APEC) members," adding "as the Busan Roadmap will center on every APEC meeting in the coming years, the recognition of Busan, a host city of the summit, will be raised."

▲A declaration of peace on the peninsula

The upcoming APEC meeting which mainly deals with economic issues, is also expected to address North Korea's nuclear program and security on the Korean peninsula as five leaders of the countries participating in the six party talks, except North Korea, are to meet.

Addressing of those issues are highly likely to be separate from the Leaders' Declaration and come in the form of the Leaders' Statement or the Chairman's Summary, a document announced by the chairman who summarizes discussions dealt with during the summit.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in the Chairman's Summary of the last 2003 APEC forum that "APEC will deal with all the interests and concerns of member economies, including the security threat posed by North Korea, and seek for a peaceful settlement through dialogue."

The 2002 APEC summit in Los Cabos, Mexico adopted the Leaders' Statement on the North Korea's nuclear program, in which "APEC, on the condition of a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula, will focus on the economic benefits that North Korea can receive by playing a more active role as a member of the community in the Asia-Pacific Rim."

▲Support for Doha Development Agenda (DDA) and cooperation against avian flu

An effort to adopt a separate statement on the DDA by leaders is being pushed forward in order to make substantial progress in the sixth WTO ministerial conference set to be held in December in Hong Kong.

A separate Leaders' Statement on public health including avian flu is also expected to be released in the effort of seeking cooperation on topics such as quick and transparent reporting and information exchange on avian flu, following the 2003 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. By Kim Kyeong-kon

The source of news : The Kookje News  2005/11/14