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Economic summit condemns terrorism, avoids specificsCompiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, SHANGHAI, China -- Pacific Rim leaders wrapped up a two-day regional economic summit Sunday with a statement "unequivocally" condemning the Sept. 11 attacks against the United States as "murderous deeds," and denouncing terrorism "in all forms and manifestations."
But the strong language used to deplore terrorism belied sharp disagreements about how to combat or even define it. The statement made no mention of fugitive Saudi millionaire Osama bin Laden, the man U.S. officials hold responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks, nor did it endorse the U.S.-led military strikes in Afghanistan. And while the leaders promised to work more closely to deny terrorists' access to money and weapons, and affirmed the need for heightened vigilance at airports and customs checkpoints, their discussions here this weekend yielded no concrete proposals. The mix of stern rhetoric and vague policy reflected the vast economic, political and cultural differences within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. Among its 21 members, the group counts five countries with substantial Muslim populations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China and the Philippines. Two, China and Russia, have a direct regional security stake in the outcome of the Afghanistan conflict. And Japan's desire to offer logistical support to the war on terrorism is complicated by its pacifist constitution and the deep-rooted suspicions of its neighbors. Indonesia and Malaysia have expressed concern about the deaths of Muslim civilians in Afghanistan and have called for an end to the bombing. They fear a backlash across the Muslim world could spread instability, especially if the U.S.-led attacks continue through the start of the Muslim holy month, Ramadan, which begins in mid-November. At that time, the situation could become "explosive," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hasan Wirayuda said. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, while opposed to the military action, said the use of ground troops was preferable to air raids because civilians are less likely to be killed by soldiers than by bombs. President Bush got backing for the military effort from Russia and China, and at a news conference Sunday after a private meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said he was encouraged by the overall support at the APEC forum. "There was a very strong support for our activities -- strong support for sharing intelligence; strong support for the diplomatic front we're waging; strong support to disrupt the financial operations of the terrorists; and strong support for our military operations in Afghanistan," Bush said. Putin said the military campaign should continue until Afghanistan's Taliban militia is defeated, "otherwise terrorists will feel invincible." After a meeting with Chinese President Jiang Zemin on Saturday, Putin's spokesman had said the two agreed that military operations should stop quickly so a political solution can be found in Afghanistan. APEC leaders concurred that the attacks on Washington and New York threaten the health of the global economy. Jiang, the host of the meeting, said the Sept. 11 attacks have "made an already grave economic situation worse." As expected, the leaders urged the World Trade Organization to launch a new round of global negotiations to lower barriers to trade and investment when trade ministers from the Geneva-based group congregate next month. The threat of terrorism has overshadowed that meeting, too, though, because some WTO ministers want the sessions moved from Doha, Qatar, to a location outside the Persian Gulf region. U.S. officials said they were impressed that Jiang, who only months ago was lambasting Bush over the collision of a Chinese jet and U.S. Navy surveillance plane, worked hard to accommodate the U.S. desire for a strong statement on terrorism.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
