Colombia has beefed up its efforts to seek entry into the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2007, Foreign Minister
Maria Consuelo Araujo said on Tuesday.
With a specific strategy policy already in place, the government
would endeavor to realize this long-cherished aspiration through
official and unofficial channels, the minister said.
According to the policy, besides APEC membership, Colombia would
also seek to play a role in all important Asia-Pacific
organizations, like the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) and
the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC).
Colombia applied for APEC's membership as early as in 1995, but
its bid was halted as the organization stopped accepting new
members from 1993 to 1996, and the moratorium was further prolonged
to 2007.
As part of the country's efforts to join APEC, the foreign
minister launched a five-nation tour in Latin America one week
after he took the post on Aug. 7.
During the tour, the minister visited Chile and Peru, both APEC
members, and succeeded in securing the two countries' pledge to
support Colombia's bid for the membership.
Meanwhile, during his presidential inauguration for a new term
on Aug. 7, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe met with Chilean
President Michelle Bachelet and Peruvian President Alan Garcia
respectively, and reached common ground on the issue with the two
leaders.
(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2006)
