November 10, 2005

Asian leaders to discuss bird flu, trade at APEC

Bird flu and trade talks will top the official agenda at next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in South Korea, an APEC official said.

The APEC summit, to be held on Nov 18-19 in South Korea's southeastern port city of Pusan, bring together 21 countries-including the US, Japan, China, South Korea, Canada, Australia and New Zealand-just one month before a crucial WTO meeting in Hong Kong aimed at securing a global trade deal.

Choi Seok-Young, the executive director of the APEC Secretariat in Singapore said that next week's summit would be an opportunity for Asia Pacific leaders to urge the US and other agricultural economies like Australia and New Zealand to lay the groundwork for a WTO deal.

He added that a successful WTO conclusion depends on a breakthrough between the two big players, the EU and US.

The WTO meeting in Hong Kong is aimed at establishing a framework for a global trade deal to lower trade barriers and lift millions out of poverty. However, some trade ministers said this week that they could delay the mid-December deadline for an outline global deal, given the huge rifts among members over agriculture.