Bush Presses Asia-Pacific on Trade, Climate Deals
Date: 10-Sep-07
Country: AUSTRALIA
Author: Matt Spetalnick and Caren Bohan
In a wide-ranging speech on the eve of an Asia-Pacific
summit, Bush sought to reassert his influence in a part of the
world critics have accused him of neglecting because of his
preoccupation with the unpopular war in Iraq.
Trying to reassure Asian allies of his devotion to trade
liberalisation, Bush said he was ready to show flexibility to
help jump-start the moribund Doha round of world trade talks,
which he called a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity.
But he warned that intransigence by just a handful of
countries could bring negotiations to a standstill.
"The United States is committed to seizing this opportunity
and we need partners in this region to help lead the effort,"
Bush told business leaders at Sydney's Opera House.
Bush also pressed the 21-member Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum to work toward a consensus on combating
global warming, which the summit's host, Australian Prime
Minister John Howard, has placed at the top of the agenda.
Bush is pushing for the world's biggest polluters to work
toward setting a long-term goal of cutting greenhouse gas
emissions. But many environmentalist say his resistance to
mandatory US emissions caps undermines this effort.
Bush also used his speech to press for democratic reforms.
A day after meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao, Bush urged
China, with the approach of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, "to use
this moment to show confidence by demonstrating a commitment to
greater openness and tolerance".
Hours before talks with President Vladimir Putin, Bush said
the United States would encourage Russian leaders "to respect
the checks and balances that are essential to democracy".
SECURITY THREATS
Bush insisted the United States and its Asian allies must
remain united against common security challenges, such as
Islamic militancy threatening parts of Southeast Asia.
"America is committed to the security of the Asia-Pacific
region, and that commitment is unshakeable," Bush said.
He made no mention, however, of the North Korean nuclear
standoff, possibly because of recent progress toward getting
Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear programs.
Bush also used his speech to defend the Iraq war, which has
damaged his administration's credibility at home and abroad.
Public opposition to the war has made him even less popular in
parts of Asia than he is at home.
He arrived in Sydney on Tuesday after a surprise visit to
Iraq, and will leave on Saturday, with the summit still in
progress, to rush back to Washington to prepare for a crucial
report to the US Congress on the conduct of the war.
Democrats in control of Congress are stepping up demands
for a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq.
Bush has made accelerating the Doha trade talks a top
priority at the APEC leaders meeting. The talks which started
in 2001 have been bogged down by divisions between developed
and developing nations over farm subsidies and tariffs.
With APEC economies accounting for almost half of global
trade and nearly 60 percent of the world's gross domestic
product, a collapse of the Doha round could have a chilling
effect.
Asia-Pacific countries were also at odds over how to tackle
climate change. Australia's draft declaration calls for a new
global framework that would include "aspirational" targets on
lowering greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say is
causing the climate to change.
Australia, backed by the United States, says the Kyoto
Protocol is flawed because it does not commit big polluters in
the developing world, such as India and China, to the same kind
of targets as industrialised nations.
The Bush administration is concerned that accepting
numerical targets without emerging powers joining in would put
US business at a competitive disadvantage.
