APEC to Compile Draft on Liberalization Evaluation by June

Hiroshima, Feb. 24 (Jiji Press)--The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum Tuesday agreed to compile a draft report by June on how to evaluate
progress in regional trade liberalization efforts.
The agreement was made at a meeting of senior APEC officials who got
together in this western Japan city Monday and Tuesday.
The forum is scheduled to hold a meeting of trade ministers in the
northern Japan city of Sapporo in June.
The draft report will spell out ways to evaluate progress in developed
APEC members' efforts to liberalize trade and investment by 2010 as pledged
at a meeting in Bogor, Indonesia, in 1994.
Japan, this year's APEC chair, presented proposals for how to evaluate
progress in the liberalization efforts by 11 developed members.
The senior officials also agreed that the forum will seek to realize a
proposed free trade area that would cover all APEC members.
The officials also agreed to discuss ways to promote collaboration among
small firms and human resources development.
The forum is set to hold a summit meeting in Yokohama, southwest of
Tokyo, in November.