World
 
|
Asia, Europe leaders hammer out pledges on global warming, trade, terror
By Rory Mulholland
AFP
HELSINKI
Petroleumworld.com 09 12 06
European and Asian leaders representing nearly half the world's population promised Monday to work to reduce global warming, to get world trade talks back on track and to keep up the battle against terrorism.
The leaders and top officials from 38 Asian and European nations ended their Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki with lofty ideals but few tangible results.
On global warming, their final statement said they were committed to keep up attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol on climate change expires in 2012.
But their only concrete plan to achieve this was to "provide financial and technical assistance to ASEM developing countries in accordance with relevant provisions" of the United Nations' plans to rein in global warming.
With the second day of their summit coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, they held a moment of silence in commemoration during a morning session of the talks.
The leaders had earlier discussed common threats that both their regions face, ranging from terrorism to pandemics and some of the more negative sides of globalisation.
"ASEM can be instrumental in achieving tangible progress in tackling various forms of crime such as money-laundering, drugs trafficking, illicit arms trading and human trafficking, as well as the financing of terrorism, and corruption," said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.
But typically, there was no precise plan as to what ASEM would do stop these evils.
The leaders also included in their final statement a call for World Trade Organisation talks, which ground to an acrimonious halt in July, to be relaunched.
The 25-nation European Union, both curious and cautious about Asia's growing role in world affairs, was hosting leaders from China, Korea, Japan and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Widely seen as being long on talk and short on substance, the 10-year-old ASEM club is still trying to prove its relevance.
With 40 percent of the world's population, the two regions represented here generate about 50 percent of global gross domestic product and 60 percent of world trade.
But the balance of trade is rapidly moving in Asia's favour, in particular due to the meteoric economic rise of China. EU leaders are also keen to rival powerful US influence in a region where a few decades ago several European states still possessed colonies.
And Europe would like to get China, which has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, on its side on issues such as Iran's nuclear programme.
The leaders agreed on Sunday to bring new members into ASEM, with invitations to India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Bulgaria and Romania to join in future meetings. The next ASEM heads of state meeting is scheduled for 2008 in Beijing.
European leaders on Sunday called on their Asian counterparts to help stop workers being exploited and let them profit more from the globalisation that has helped turn Asia into an economic powerhouse.
"To maximise the benefits of globalisation and mitigate its potential adverse impact, there is a need to strengthen the social dimension," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
AFP 11 1446 GMT 09 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
Your
feedback is important to us!
We invite all our readers to share with us
their views and comments about this article.
Write to editor@petroleumworld.com
Any
question or suggestions, please write to:
editor@petroleumworld.com
Best
Viewed with IE
5.01+
Windows
NT 4.0, '95, '98 and ME +/ 800x600 pixels