BANGKOK - The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum has extended a strong boost to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to restart the stalled negotiations on the Doha Round trade talks, and urged better co-ordination on international anti-terror efforts.

The APEC economic leaders sent the strong messages at their annual meeting held here on Monday and Tuesday, which wrapped up the 2003 APEC annual meetings.

In a joint declaration issued after the conclusion of the leaders' meeting, they called for restarting the Doha Round trade talks and enhancing human security through strengthened and better- co-ordinated anti-terror efforts.

Unlike the past two years, when anti-terrorism overshadowed trade at the annual APEC gatherings, salvaging the Doha Round has been the dominant issue for the regional event this year, although anti-terrorism is still one of the priorities on the agenda.

The 2003 APEC annual meetings came on the heels of the collapse at the Cancun (Mexico) WTO ministerial conference last month, and one year after the devastating terrorist bombing on the Indonesian island of Bali.

The WTO is under mounting pressure to achieve a timely conclusion to the Doha Round, after the Cancun setback due to deep discrepancies between the developed and developing members on market access, agricultural subsidies and tariff structures.

In the Bangkok Declaration on Partnership for the Future, the APEC leaders voiced "strong support" for continuing efforts based on what was achieved in Cancun to advance the Doha Round as quickly as possible.

To push forward the Doha Round and realize the Bogor Goals, which aim for free and open trade among APEC developed members by 2010 and among developing members by 2020, they agreed to work toward the abolition of all forms of agricultural export subsidies, unjustifiable export prohibition and restrictions, and advance free trade in a co-ordinated manner "among multilateral, regional and bilateral frameworks."

The efforts in this regard are in line with APEC's goal of promoting trade and investment liberalization.

To further materialize the goal, the leaders agreed to continue implementing the Shanghai Accord and Los Cabos directives to facilitate business activity in the APEC region, including a 5 per cent reduction of transaction costs by 2006. They also promised to develop and take specific actions to fight corruption and promote business transparency.

Security along with combat against terrorism have been the eye-catching issues during APEC meetings since the September 11 terror attacks in the US in 2001.

At this year's annual meeting, the APEC leaders discussed how to enhance human security through increased and better co-ordinated efforts in the fight against terrorism, and vowed to take "all essential actions."

These actions are aimed at dismantling, "fully and without delay" transnational terrorist groups that threaten the APEC economies; to eliminate the severe and growing danger posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their delivery by strengthening international non-proliferation regimes, adopting and enforcing effective controls, and taking other legitimate and appropriate measures against proliferation; and to confront other direct threats to the security of the APEC region.

The leaders also listed the measures they agreed on to be taken in 2003 on enhancing human security. The measures include:

- Strengthening efforts to curb terrorist threats against mass transportation and confront the threat posed by terrorists' acquisition and use of Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) to international aviation;

- Increasing and better co-ordinating counter-terrorism activities, where appropriate, through effective collaboration, technical assistance and capacity building, and co-operation between APEC's Counter Terrorism Task Force, the Counter Terrorism Action Group of the G-8, the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee and other relevant international, regional and functional organizations;

- Implementing the APEC Action Plan on SARS and the Health Security Initiative to help APEC prevent and respond to regional health threats, including naturally-occurring infectious disease and bio-terrorism.

Meanwhile, the leaders discussed how to use APEC to help people and societies benefit from globalization.

They agreed to strengthen efforts to empower people and societies, including women and youth, to integrate into the global economy.

They also promised to step up efforts to build knowledge-based economies, voiced support for science and technology innovation and agreed to step up APEC's structural reform to ensure sustainable economic growth and development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The theme of this year's APEC informal leaders' meeting is "A World of Differences: Partnership for the future." And the leaders did stress the importance of partnership among APEC economies, saying that "strong partnership is vital" in order to achieve the Bogor Goals.

The leaders' meeting wound up the annual meetings, beginning with the Senior Officials' Meeting on Oct. 14, which was followed by the ministerial meeting on Oct. 17-18. Chile is to host next year's APEC events.

Throughout the week, the APEC event in Bangkok has been running smoothly and safely.

The Thai government survived one of the toughest test of security in the country's history, thanks to a set of effective measures, among them the deployment of 20,000 police and troops in Bangkok to guard against any potential threat to security for the APEC event.

Security had been a major concern for this year's APEC meetings, especially following the arrest in central Thailand in August of Hambali, the alleged operations chief of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), who reportedly told interrogators that he had been planning attacks in Thailand during the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting.

For the APEC members, what is important now is for them to implement the initiatives adopted at this year's meetings. And this may also be what the WTO is asking for. (Xinhua)