Bush arrives at Asia summit, already recruited to his 'war on terror'

SANTIAGO (AFP) - US President George W. Bush joins an Asia-Pacific summit already immersed in his "war on terror", fighting nuclear proliferation and trying to keep mobile missile launchers from terrorists.
Meeting behind tight security at the neoclassical La Moneda Palace in Santiago, in sight of the snow-capped Andes, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders will take an unprecedented focus on terrorism.
Anti-Bush protesters, who clashed in Santiago's streets Wednesday with police firing tear gas and water cannon, vowed to march again Friday.
Setting the tone for their leaders, foreign ministers of the 21-member APEC forum agreed to keep closer tabs on shoulder-mounted missile launchers capable of downing a plane as part of a broad anti-terrorism sweep.
"There was also a focus on export controls and in particular export controls on materials that could be used for weapons of mass destruction," Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer told a press conference.
In a joint statement concluding two days' talks, the foreign ministers confirmed they would work to eliminate the danger of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and delivery systems.
In the main ministerial "retreat," the ministers broached the North Korean nuclear crisis.
There was "a general agreement that all of us in the region had to put increasing pressure on the North Koreans to participate in the six-party talks," the Australian minister said.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters Wednesday that he saw some signs North Korea may be ready to give up its insistence on bilateral, not multilateral, talks to end the stand-off.
Three rounds of multilateral talks, seeking to persuade Pyongyang to take aid and security guarantees in return for mothballing the nuclear program, have taken place since the stand-off erupted in October 2002.
North Korea boycotted a fourth round of talks in September, bringing together the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States in Beijing. All but North Korea are members of APEC.
Bush will meet with heads of the other parties at the talks -- Japan, China, Russia and South Korea -- on the sidelines of the weekend summit to step up pressure on Pyongyang, a State Department official said.
"I think the president's meetings with the leaders on this can be quite significant in stating his own commitment to the six party process and how important he thinks it is," he said.
But if there is no North Korean movement, economic sanctions could be considered, Australia's Downer cautioned.
"There may be some feeling as time goes on that the degree of economic interaction should be reduced if there is not going to be appropriate cooperation by the North Koreans at all with the five (other) parties or with the broader international community. But that is a work in progress," he said.
Aside from terrorism, ministers supported a swift conclusion to World Trade Organization (WTO) efforts to get a new deal freeing up global trade.
They backed to contain oil price shocks, set guidelines for the growing web of regional or bilateral trade arrangements and sought reforms to cut graft.
In an early APEC coup, China and Chile deepened trading ties by agreeing to start formal negotiations on a free trade pact, with President Ricardo Lagos also granting China much-prized (market economy( status.

11/19/2004 - 06:46 GMT - AFP