Counterterrorism Will Be Top Priority at APEC
(APEC Coordinator Greenwood Oct. 10 on upcoming meetings)For the United States, the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings will be an opportunity for garnering support for the fight against international terrorism, according to U.S. Coordinator for APEC Lawrence Greenwood.
In an October 10 press briefing at the State Department's Foreign Press Center on the upcoming meetings in Shanghai later this month, Greenwood said the United States looks to strengthen the international coalition against terrorism at the first international meeting since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.
The United States also looks to the APEC Ministerial Meeting of October 17-18 and the APEC Leaders' Meeting of October 20-21 as part of the effort to restore economic confidence and growth in the region.
The Shanghai meetings hosted by China as the APEC chair for 2001 will provide an "excellent opportunity" to show that the APEC region is working together, Greenwood told reporters.
Greenwood, who has been the U.S. senior official for APEC since 2000, said the terror attacks were "an attack against many, many nations," noting that nationals from many countries perished September 11 in the world's deadliest terrorist incident.
Greenwood said every APEC economy could make a contribution in the fight against terrorism. APEC as an institution could also help win the fight against international terrorism by providing the economic tools to fight it, he added.
The fight against terrorism will be brought up at both the ministerial meeting and the leaders' meeting, according to Greenwood.
Turning to economic concerns, Greenwood said the United States had been aware of the economic slowdown in the region since early in the year, with the problem of slow growth endemic in most of the APEC economies. The United States is looking for the APEC meetings in Shanghai to come up with ways to respond to the region's slow growth.
The question for APEC, he suggested, is "how can we reverse that slowdown as quickly as possible."
Greenwood said APEC could continue and accelerate work already done to strengthen the region's economies. APEC at both the ministerial and leaders' meetings could issue a call to launch a new trade round at the November World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Doha, Qatar, he said.
There is a need for continuing the process of structural reform in various APEC economies as well as increasing the use of information technology to enhance productivity in APEC economies, he said.
On the subject of helping businesses in the Asia-Pacific region, Greenwood said customs reform remains an important area, with businesses listing it as the number-one problem they face.
APEC has helped improve that situation with its Model Port Project in Shanghai, where the customs process has been streamlined and simplified. The Model Port Project is an example of what APEC can do to help businesses, Greenwood said.
The United States also is helping the region with various educational projects and a high-level dialogue on biotechnology, according to Greenwood.
Regarding the Shanghai accord, which calls for a broader vision for APEC and a greater emphasis on getting things done, Greenwood said one area of continuing interest is the issue of transparency.
In response to a reporter's question, Greenwood said the United States is pleased with the response throughout the region to the U.S. effort to marshal a coalition to fight terrorism.
APEC economies need to work in concrete ways to help end the terrorist threat, he added, such as in the area of financial cooperation to cut off funds for terrorist groups.
Turning toward the American economy, Greenwood said the question is how quickly growth will return to the world's largest economy.
The terror attacks of September 11, Greenwood said, risked extending the downturn in the U.S. economy. But, he added, that doesn't have to be the case if the right fiscal policies are put in place in time. With the right policies, Greenwood said, 2002 can be "a very good year."
Greenwood told the reporters that the Bush administration has kept its "eye on the ball" on both the issue of counterterrorism and the issue of economic recovery.
Click here to read the full transcript on the Foreign Press Center web site:
http://www.fpc.gov/01_TRANS/gree1001.htm
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