The second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM II) and the related meetings taking place in Ho Chi Minh City from May 22-30 have been wrapped up with encouraging results, said Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and SOM Chairman Le Cong Phung at a press briefing on May 30
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The second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM II) and the related meetings taking place in Ho Chi Minh City from May 22-30 have been wrapped up with encouraging results, said Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and SOM Chairman Le Cong Phung at a press briefing on May 30.
Mr Phung said the meetings focused on the details of many issues, to obtain concrete results that will be submitted to the Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), scheduled on June 1-2. These results are important for the preparations for the MRT as well as the next SOMs.
At the SOM II, the delegates heard reports from committees, sub-committees, task forces and working groups in the APEC and agreed to propose that the APEC Trade Ministers issue a statement to serve as a strong political message, on a timely conclusion for the Doha round of negotiations.
They unanimously agreed on a framework for working out an action programme to implement the Busan Business Agenda towards the Bogor Goals to submit to Trade Ministers.
The APEC senior officials gave guidance to the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI) to build sample terms for regional trade agreements and free trade agreements (RTAs/FTAs). They also approved a working programme in 2006 for the SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE), which aims to improve its capacity for the Busan Agenda implementation.
The meeting passed a 2006 working programme of the Task Force for Emergency Preparedness, applauding the preparations for an a fight against an avian flu pandemic in humans.
The initiatives, including the
The participants agreed to continue drafting APEC reform plans.
Within the framework of SOM II, Vietnam chaired and organised several key meetings such as the APEC seminar on member economies experiences in drawing investment from trans-national companies, a dialogue on trade facilitation, a seminar of APEC research centres network, and especially the fourth SOM Policy Dialogue on RTAS/FTAs with the participation of the private sector for the first time.
(Source: VOV)
