DOHA TALKS – Major Powers Not Flexible in Approach; APEC Ends; Sydney Declaration on climate change; No to targets for greenhouse gas emission

DOHA TALKS – Major Powers Not Flexible in Approach; APEC Ends; Sydney Declaration on climate change; No to targets for greenhouse gas emission

ABOVE: Farewell, see You in Lima 2009 and BELOW: Howard addressing the leaders on the grounds of Sydney Opera house with PM Abdullah in pole position, fully awake?


ABOVE: Malaysiakini dished out a report on the conclusion of the APEC Meet in Sydney with the PM Abdullah not optimistic about the Doha Talks. (details H E R E )The meeting ended with three mission statements. Malaysia's Bernama reporter Jackson Sawatan (BELOW)
was there and came out with plenty of reports- for whose consumption?
But the focus is of course on President Bush (BELOW) and other world leaders to lave some crumbs for the smaller countries.

Leaders of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) concluded their meeting with three statements on climate change, the Doha Round of global free-trade talks, and their collective commitment to regional economic integration, free and open markets and to the security of the people in the Pacific Rim. On climate change, the leaders agreed to work towards "aspirational" goals to tackle the problem, stopping short of setting hard targets on emission reductions. On the Doha Round, the leaders spelled out commitment to work "with renewed energy" to deliver an ambitious and balanced result.

September 09, 2007 20:03 PM

Doha Round Talks Hinge On Major Powers Showing Flexibility - Abdullah

From Jackson Sawatan

SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today called on major powers to be flexible in the Doha Round free-trade negotiations to ensure a successful conclusion. He said the major powers had not been sufficiently flexible in their positions and warned that if such an approach continued, it would be difficult to conclude the stalled negotiations. "I find it difficult to be optimistic over the conclusion of the Doha Round simply because at the moment I see that major powers -- the US, Europe, Japan and France -- are not sufficiently flexible to help push forward the Doha Round processes to a conclusion," he said. Speaking at a news conference at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders' meeting here today, Abdullah said that there had been calls for major powers to show flexibility in their approach, but he found their positions to be "very, very strong". Abdullah said he was not blaming the countries concerned but as major economic powers they could afford to make some concessions, unlike small economies. "I don't want to blame anybody, that's a country's own position but as developed countries which have enormous wealth, they could make some concessions. Smaller countries with smaller wealth cannot do so because if we do, we will be left with nothing else," he said. In a standalone statement on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations issued after the meeting today, Apec leaders underlined the importance of WTO rules, global trading system and "our determination to bring the Doha Round to an early and successful conclusion". They said there had never been a more urgent need to make progress than now. "The Doha agenda is broad, but overall success at this stage depends critically on early progress in griculture and industrial products. Real progress has been made in these areas and our firm view is that the remaining differences can be successfully bridged," the statement said.

As intensive negotiations resumed in Geneva this week, the Apec leaders, whose economies account for nearly 50 per cent of world trade, also pledged "the political will, flexibility and ambition" to ensure the Doha Round negotiations enter their final phase this year. To this end, the leaders said they would instruct their ministers and officials to resume negotiations on the basis of the draft texts tabled by the chairs of the negotiating groups on agriculture and non-agricultural market access. "We insist that consensus will only be possible on the basis of an ambitious, balanced result that delivers real and substantial market access improvements for agricultural and industrial goods and for services and real and substantial reductions in trade-distorting agricultural subsidies," the statement said. Abdullah said: "I hope it could be concluded but unless we have some positive signs from countries that really want to and are prepared to be flexible, it's going to be difficult." On the proposal for an Apec-wide free trade area, Abdullah said it was an option discussed at the summit. "I think the stalled WTO talks in a way led to the development of so many bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs)...I think it is easier to negotiate for a bilateral FTA because you can negotiate your position and we can give and take. "But I did mention in the meeting that if we are to have an Apec FTA, we have to bear in mind that there are already so many bilateral trade agreements within our region. So we need to harmonise some of these provisions," he said.

A statement issued after the meeting today said that while a successful conclusion to the Doha Round remained the primary trade priority of Apec leaders, regional and bilateral free trade arrangements also played a valuable role in accelerating trade and investment liberalisation. The Apec therefore, through "a range of practical and incremental steps", will examine the options and prospects for a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific.

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Does APEC merely add to global warming?

Sun Sep 9, 2007 5:47AM EDT By Bill Tarrant - Analysis

SYDNEY (Reuters) - As Asia-Pacific leaders jetted home on Sunday with yet another APEC souvenir to stuff into their "funny shirt" closet, folks back home may well ask: "So what did you get out of that meeting besides the outback raincoat?". Host Australia shelled out A$300 million ($250 million) to accommodate the 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Sydney, whose disgruntled residents were subjected to the biggest security operation in the country's history. But leaders did come bearing gifts for Prime Minister John Howard, who is widely expected to call an election this week -- a $45 billion gas export deal with China, uranium sales to Russia, top-secret military technology from the United States. Much to the chagrin of green groups, non-environmentalist Howard burnished his legacy with a "Sydney Declaration", signing up APEC members to an "aspirational target" for cutting greenhouse gases. It's voluntary and non-binding, so no worries for APEC, which includes some of the world's biggest polluters. Green groups immediately dismissed the "Sydney distraction" as so much hot air adding to the warming of the globe.

DECISION-MAKING BODY

Critics say APEC has lost its focus on economics and trade by meandering into the fields of security and now the environment. But some analysts say that may be the price of its success. "APEC is more important now than ever, and though its role in some realms remains modest -- security is the most glaring example -- in other areas it is emerging as the global decision-making body," the security analysis Web site Stratfor.com said.

"APEC's growing power is most clearly on display when it tackles issues such as climate change and consumer product safety." So, when the APEC leaders, whose countries account for more than half of global trade, came out on Sunday with a strong endorsement of compromises on farm subsidies and industrial tariffs that negotiators are working on in Geneva, it must have been music to World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy's ears. For the past two decades, APEC has been quietly crafting some of the most important rules for global commerce. At the Sydney meeting it completed three more chapters for a model free trade agreement that can be rolled out anywhere along the Pacific rim.

APEC also offers an unparalleled public relations platform to push pet projects and causes -- and to network like crazy. U.S. President George W. Bush, who stopped off in Iraq on his way to Sydney, took every opportunity to defend the unpopular war. And to bolster the election fortunes of Howard, one of the most steadfast supporters of the war. "They refer to the Prime Minister around here as a battler," Bush said this week. "I know why: he's courageous, he's wise, he's determined." Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped off in Jakarta on the way to APEC to seal a $1 billion arms deal with Indonesia by way of advertising that Russia is back in the geopolitical game in Asia, after taking a long sabbatical from the Cold War. "The main outcome of the summit is that Russia has significantly upgraded its status in the grouping and in the region," a senior diplomat in the Russian delegation said. But China's Hu Jintao kept a relatively low profile, belying predictions that Beijing is big-footing APEC, founded in Canberra in 1989 with backing from the United States to push an Asia-Pacific free trade agenda.

Hu issued the usual stern warnings about Taiwan's leanings toward independence. But mostly he seemed keen to reassure his Asia-Pacific neighbors that Beijing, grappling with a series of product recalls ranging from toys to toothpaste, took product safety "very seriously". China's foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing did not have any larger ambitions in APEC. "On this issue, China definitely does not seek any kind of an important role, or to gain some kind of a leadership position," spokesman Liu Jianchao said in Sydney. Howard had enthused that APEC would make Australia "the centre of the universe in our region", but a comedy troupe stunt during APEC might have been the most-watched story overseas. Posing as the Canadian delegation, members of ABC TV's The Chaser show drove a "motorcade" through two checkpoints to within meters of Bush's hotel -- one of them made up to look like Osama bin Laden, and the designation "Insecurity" written on their convention passes. Police arrested 11 of them. (Additional reporting by John Ruwitch and Oleg Shchedrov)
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ABOVE & BELOW: The two sights visitors to Sydney would not miss

APEC leaders forge deal on climate change; protesters march in Sydney

The Associated Press; Published: September 7, 2007

SYDNEY, Australia: Pacific Rim leaders agreed Saturday to curb global warming by improving energy use and expanding forests, laying out a plan they hope will influence future climate change talks but that critics dismissed as too timid. U.S. President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, China's Hu Jintao and leaders of other Asia-Pacific economies adopted the program at an annual summit after officials struck a deal between richer and developing nations over targets. The program's centerpieces are two modest goals — one on energy efficiency, the other on forests. Unlike the contentious, U.N.-backed Kyoto Protocol, it does not set targets on the greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming, and its' goals are voluntary. Yet in bringing together the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit's disparate group of countries on a contentious issue, the program may carry weight in upcoming talks in Washington, New York and Indonesia for new post-Kyoto blueprint. "APEC leaders have charted a new international consensus for the region and the world," summit host Australian Prime Minister John Howard said, standing outside the graceful, shell-shaped Sydney Opera House where the leaders met. A massive demonstration that activist groups called for — and that authorities warned could be violent — mostly fizzled in the presence of a show of force by police and threats of arrest.

About 3,000 demonstrators (ABOVE) held a festive, mostly peaceful rally, protesting against Bush, the Iraq war and APEC's pro-business policies. Police arrested 17 protesters while two officers were injured. But protesters stayed on the approved route and away from a 3-meter (10-foot) metal fence police erected across downtown Sydney to cordon off summit sites. Aside from their group meeting, APEC leaders also took advantage of the gathering to confer with each other. Bush held a first-ever three-way meeting with Australia's Howard and Japan's Shinzo Abe to discuss India, China and other security issues. It was on climate change where APEC leaders hoped to break new ground. The grouping accounts for more than half the world's economy and contains most of its biggest polluters. "If you have APEC, especially the largest emitters — the U.S., China, Russia, Japan — sign up to an agreement like that, it would be hard to ignore at the global level," said Malcolm Cook of Sydney-based think-tank the Lowy Institute. But other climate change experts and environmental activists were dismissive, saying the goals were non-binding and so modest in scope as to render the program ineffective. "In practical terms, that will mean almost nothing," Frank Jotzo, an Australian National University expert in climate change economics, said if the plan. "It is very unambitious." Under the platform, APEC members will reduce "energy intensity" — the amount of energy needed to produce a dollar of gross domestic product — 25 percent by 2030. They pledged to increase forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares (50 million acres) by 2020. While an APEC statement said the added trees were enough to absorb about 11 percent of the greenhouse gases the world emitted in 2004, critics said the increase does not make up for ever-rising emissions levels. The "energy intensity" goal was particularly weak, Jotzo said, as it sets a rate that most economies are naturally meeting as they get richer and shift out of power-intensive manufacturing. "If the APEC statement is the platform for future action on climate change, then the world is in trouble," said Greenpeace energy campaigner Catherine Fitzpatrick. But in getting the United States, China and other countries to agree, APEC set some precedents. Unlike Kyoto, which largely exempted developing countries from targets, China has signed on to APEC's goals. In approving the APEC pact, the United States and Australia have agreed with China and other developing countries that richer countries should bear more of the costs in solving global warming. "That can potentially break this impasse between developed and developing countries," Jotzo said.

Associated Press writers Rod McGuirk, Meraiah Foley and Jim Gomez contributed to this report.

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September 09, 2007 20:12 PM

Apec Cannot Impose Emission Reduction Targets - Abdullah

From Jackson Sawatan

SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) view the issue of climate change seriously but the grouping cannot impose targets for greenhouse gas emission reductions, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. "In any kind of agreement, we (in Apec) can't impose that by certain date everybody must be able to achieve the target because some countries may take more time," he told a news conference at the end of Apec summit here today. "What's important is understanding what we need to do," he said. Apec leaders adopted the Sydney Declaration on climate change yesterday which settled for "aspirational" goals to tackle the problem rather than committing to hard targets on emission reductions.
The declaration, among others, set out Apec's "aspirational" goal of a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25 per cent by 2030 with 2005 as the base year. "We're looking at climate change very seriously. Therefore, it's very important that countries must come together and act together. That's what we must do and that's the understanding that we have on this issue," he said.
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September 09, 2007 20:03 PM

Doha Round Talks Hinge On Major Powers Showing Flexibility - Abdullah

From Jackson Sawatan
SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today called on major powers to be flexible in the Doha Round free-trade negotiations to ensure a successful conclusion. He said the major powers had not been sufficiently flexible in their positions and warned that if such an approach continued, it would be difficult to conclude the stalled negotiations. "I find it difficult to be optimistic over the conclusion of the Doha Round simply because at the moment I see that major powers -- the US, Europe, Japan and France -- are not sufficiently flexible to help push forward the Doha Round processes to a conclusion," he said. Speaking at a news conference at the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders' meeting here today, Abdullah said that there had been calls for major powers to show flexibility in their approach, but he found their positions to be "very, very strong". Abdullah said he was not blaming the countries concerned but as major economic powers they could afford to make some concessions, unlike small economies. "I don't want to blame anybody, that's a country's own position but as developed countries which have enormous wealth, they could make some concessions. Smaller countries with smaller wealth cannot do so because if we do, we will be left with nothing else," he said. In a standalone statement on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations issued after the meeting today, Apec leaders underlined the importance of WTO rules, global trading system and "our determination to bring the Doha Round to an early and successful conclusion".

They said there had never been a more urgent need to make progress than now. "The Doha agenda is broad, but overall success at this stage depends critically on early progress in agriculture and industrial products. Real progress has been made in these areas and our firm view is that the remaining differences can be successfully bridged," the statement said. As intensive negotiations resumed in Geneva this week, the Apec leaders, whose economies account for nearly 50 per cent of world trade, also pledged "the political will, flexibility and ambition" to ensure the Doha Round negotiations enter their final phase this year. To this end, the leaders said they would instruct their ministers and officials to resume negotiations on the basis of the draft texts tabled by the chairs of the negotiating groups on agriculture and non-agricultural market access. "We insist that consensus will only be possible on the basis of an ambitious, balanced result that delivers real and substantial market access improvements for agricultural and industrial goods and for services and real and substantial reductions in trade-distorting agricultural subsidies," the statement said. Abdullah said: "I hope it could be concluded but unless we have some positive signs from countries that really want to and are prepared to be flexible, it's going to be difficult." On the proposal for an Apec-wide free trade area, Abdullah said it was an option discussed at the summit. "I think the stalled WTO talks in a way led to the development of so many bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs)...I think it is easier to negotiate for a bilateral FTA because you can negotiate your position and we can give and take. "But I did mention in the meeting that if we are to have an Apec FTA, we have to bear in mind that there are already so many bilateral trade agreements within our region. So we need to harmonise some of these provisions," he said. A statement issued after the meeting today said that while a successful conclusion to the Doha Round remained the primary trade priority of Apec leaders, regional and bilateral free trade arrangements also played a valuable role in accelerating trade and investment liberalisation. The Apec therefore, through "a range of practical and incremental steps", will examine the options and prospects for a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific.

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Apec Leaders Renew Commitment To Tackle Problems

From Jackson Sawatan

SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Leaders of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) concluded their meeting today with three statements on climate change, the Doha Round of global free-trade talks, and their collective commitment to regional economic integration, free and open markets and to the security of the people in the Pacific Rim. On climate change, the leaders agreed to work towards "aspirational" goals to tackle the problem, stopping short of setting hard targets on emission reductions. On the Doha Round, the leaders spelled out commitment to work "with renewed energy" to deliver an ambitious and balanced result. The leaders also agreed to accelerate regional economic integration by further reducing barriers to trade and investment, improving economic efficiency and facilitating integration in sectors such as transportation, telecommunications, mining and energy. "We have asked ministers and officials to carry forward this work and report back to us in 2008 with a summary of steps taken to promote regional economic integration," they said. They said regional economic integration would require not only enhanced trade and investment liberalisation and facilitation but also greater attention to "behind-the-border" issues that may impact on trade and commerce. "In that regard, we agreed on the need to further improve the efficiency of our domestic markets, raise productivity, enhance the resilience of our economies and sustain strong rates of growth through structural reforms".

Other issues discussed in Sydney included ways to strengthen protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the region with the leaders agreeing to continued efforts by Apec economies to combat the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods. They also reaffirmed commitment to weed out corruption and promote good governance to build prosperity and a predictable business environment. On human security, the leaders recognised new risks and challenges to people and economies, including from the potential spread across borders of terrorism, pandemics, illicit drugs, contaminated products and the consequences of natural disasters. "We resolved to enhance our cooperation on challenges to human security and in so doing to remain closely attuned to the needs of business." They also reaffirmed commitment "to dismantle terrorist groups, eliminate the danger posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and to protect our economic and financial systems from abuse by terrorist groups".

The leaders also agreed on the need to develop a more robust approach to strengthening food and consumer product safety standards and practices in the region, using scientific risk-based approaches and without creating unnecessary impediments to trade.

On Apec membership, the leaders said that they had discussed the issue and agreed to "revisit the issue of membership in 2010".

The 2009 Apec summit will be held in Lima, Peru.

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September 09, 2007 13:18 PM

After Climate Change, APEC Summit Shifts Focus To Trade Issues

From Jackson Sawatan
SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Leaders continued their second and final day of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting here with the focus now centred on the more familiar territory of trade issues after days of tough talks on the divisive topic of climate change. Yesterday, the leaders adopted a watered-down Sydney Declaration on climate change which set out APEC's "aspirational" goal of a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25 per cent by 2030. According to the declaration, they had also decided to work on achieving an APEC-wide aspirational goal of increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020.The meeting today was held at the Government House, built 160 years ago and reputed to be the most sophisticated example of a Gothic Revival building in New South Wales.

The adoption of the Sydney Declaration was seen as giving Australian Prime Minister John Howard a "green" boost ahead of the election which is expected to be called very soon. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who joined other APEC leaders at today's meeting, told Malaysian journalists Saturday that Kuala Lumpur felt it was important for the Doha Round to be resolved successfully. "The talks have been long deferred and this can be regarded as detrimental to the developing countries. Therefore, it is also important for developed and industrialised countries in APEC to play their role so that the Doha Round can be reactivated," he said.US President George Bush was not present at the meeting as he had left Australia last night. The Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks, so-named as it was launched in Doha in 2001, came to a deadlock after World Trade Organisation members failed to agree on the extent of cuts in barriers to trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services. APEC groups Australia, Canada, China, Chile, Hong Kong, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States.

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September 09, 2007 13:14 PM

APEC Agrees To Aspirational Goals To Tackle Climate Change

From Jackson Sawatan

SYDNEY, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders have achieved a consensus on the contentious climate change issue, and agreed to work towards "aspirational" goals to tackle the problem instead of committing to hard targets on emission reductions. According to the Sydney Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development adopted at their meeting yesterday, Apec leaders said that they -- without prejudice to commitments in other fora --highlighted the importance of improving energy efficiency. They agreed to work towards achieving an APEC-wide regional "aspirational goal" of a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25 per cent by 2030 with 2005 as the base year. The leaders also decided to work towards achieving the aspirational goal of increasing forest cover in the region by at least 20 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020. The phrase "all types of forests" was a latter addition to the document, according to officials, as countries like Malaysia felt it was necessary to make it clear that the word "forest" would not only mean tropical forest. The goal, if achieved, would store approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to around 11 per cent of annual global emissions in 2004, said the declaration which was released today. Malaysia, according to officials, had also insisted that the word "voluntary" be included in a paragraph on energy efficiency issues where the leaders "agreed to facilitate and review progress through the voluntary APEC Energy Peer Review Mechanism". The mechanism, established by APEC energy ministers in May, is to subject APEC members to undergo a voluntary progress review with regard to the implementation of measures to attain energy efficiency. The ministers had also decided to establish an Asia-Pacific network for sustainable forest management and rehabilitation to enhance capacity building and strengthen information sharing in the forestry sector. The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and expressed support for a post-Kyoto Protocol international climate change arrangement. The Kyoto Protocol requires developed and industrialised nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent below the 1990 levels by 2012. In December, the UN will convene a meeting in Bali to discuss a new arrangement to succeed the protocol. The declaration said: "We (leaders) are committed to the global objective of stabilising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system." "The world needs to slow, stop and then reverse the growth of global greenhouse gas emissions," it said. APEC leaders also called for a post-2012 international climate change arrangement that would strengthen, broaden and deepen the current arrangements, leading to reduced global emissions of greenhouse gases. "APEC economies that are parties to the UNFCCC agree to work actively and constructively towards a comprehensive post-2012 arrangement at this year's UNFCCC conference," the statement added.

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