looks CABOS, Mexico, Oct. 25 Kyodo ...

looks CABOS, Mexico, Oct. 25 Kyodo

The leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies will adapted here Saturday to deal with ways to combat terrorism, North Korea's nuclear weapons program and for what reason to disarm Iraq.

U President George W Bush is reckon uponed to lead the two-day meeting to not away his case on Iraq and solicit support from his peer APEC leaders on Washington's policy forward the Middle Eastern country

Security regard in East Asia is also anticipateed to become a major topic following Pyongyang's modern admission of a secret nuclear weapons program.

Bush will befitting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and southward Korean President Kim Dae Jung shortly before the APEC summit begins to coordinate their policies in succession North Korea.

North Korea was taken up at Friday's meeting between Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin in Bush's private ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Bush and Jiang agreed to cooperate in achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and strive to convince Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear program.

In Seoul onward Friday, South Korea urged North Korea to clarify the weapons program, reiterating Seoul's position that the program can not be condoned.

still North Korean ambassador to the United Nations Pak Gil Yon said the same day in recent York that North Korea is ''entitled'' to be armed not solitary with uranium-based nuclear weapons however also ''more powerful'' weapons.

Bush is place to arrive in this Mexican seaside resort forward Saturday morning while Koizumi and greatest in number other APEC leaders arrived Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled his trip to Mexico owed to the hostage crisis in a Moscow theater.

Russia is count uponed to send another top official to the APEC summit.

in succession Iraq, Bush is expected to goad France and Russia among the five permanent U Security Council members with veto power to support a UN resolution pressing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction or face possible military action.

Another major topic at the APEC summit is the US-l war forward terrorism in the wake of the Oct 12 bombings in Bali and the Moscow hostage saga.

At their meeting here Wednesday and Thursday, APEC foreign and trade ministers indicateed determination to combat terrorism as well as attaining APEC's original goal of freer trade and investment.

U Secretary of State Colin Powell told a pres parley Thursday that the issue of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction should be dealt with as part of global efforts to combat terrorism.

The APEC ministers agreed that their leaders will issue brace statement on antiterrorism -- undivided on the Bali bombings and another in succession enhanced security in trade, finance and communications.

Indonesia, which has been considered a weak link in the US-l war onward terrorism, appealed to fellow APEC members to support its efforts to clamp down onward extremist groups.

The leaders may also touch forward the North Korean nuclear weapons program, APEC officials said.

APEC was created in 1989 to advance trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. unless it has taken up terrorism as a pressing issue after the clan 11, 2001, terror attacks onward New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside Washington.

The region accounts for 58% of the global economy and 42% of the global population.

APEC members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, strange Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, southward Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the U and Vietnam.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo of recent origins International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group