PACIFIC SUMMIT: Asia-Pacific leaders yesterday endorsed President Bush's new initiative to resolve the Korean nuclear crisis and his plans to counter terror.
Closing a summit in Bangkok, the other 20 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum fully backed the US stand of providing some security guarantees for North Korea in exchange for it abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
They called for the revival of world trade talks and agreed on more ways to increase global security - specifically by controlling trade in shoulder-fired missiles, tightening port safety, choking terrorist finance and increasing co-operation.
Away from the vexed issues of trade, nuclear proliferation and terrorism, Malaysia's controversial Prime Minister, Mr Mahathir Mohamad, ended his last international summit with a repeat of controversial remarks that "arrogant" Jews ruled the world.
The new US initiative aims to provide North Korea some sort of security guarantee short of the non-aggression treaty it has demanded in exchange for abandoning efforts to make nuclear arms.
President Bush said he and other US officials had discussed the new proposals with the other nations involved in the stalled six-way talks on North Korea - China, Russia, Japan and South Korea. All were present at the Bangkok summit with the exception of North Korea.
Thai Prime Minister Mr Thaksin Shinawatra read out a statement effectively giving Washington APEC's unreserved support. "We seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue while addressing all the concerns of the parties including the security concerns raised by North Korea," he said, flanked by the other leaders dressed in specially-woven silk jackets.
"We are committed to the maintenance of peace and stability on the peninsula and support continuation of the six-party talks and look forward to concrete and verifiable progress towards a complete and permanent nuclear weapons-free Korean peninsula."
The statement was read out in a nod to concerns expressed by Russia and China that including it in the final communiqué could infuriate Pyongyang.
APEC, which also includes tiny Papua New Guinea, south-east Asian nations, Australia and New Zealand, was formed in 1989 primarily to promote free trade. But since the September 11th attacks, the agenda has also included terrorism .