Sec. Condoleezza Rice At APEC Ministerial Meeting

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Sydney, Australia
September 5, 2007

Remarks at the 19th APEC Ministerial Meeting

SECRETARY RICE: (In progress.) -- as an organization that is prepared to take on, in a voluntary way, the issue of the security is one of the best things that we do for the region.

If you look at trade, and I know that there was a long session earlier on trade with some of our trade ministers here, clearly, the ability to provide economic security and to provide economic prosperity is enhanced greatly when we have open and free trade. And that is why I'd like to just add my voice to those who hope that this leaders meeting -- the leaders meeting will come as a very small endorsement of the importance of progress in the Doha round, because this organization, as it does, representing some of the most vibrant and active economies in the world, has a very great stake in a successful Doha round.

Secondly, I believe that the leaders will endorse the work that we have been doing in counterterrorism and counterproliferation. These are issues that were not on the APEC agenda just a little while ago, but they now have become issues in which we all cooperate, in which we have a concern. For instance, in particular, if you think about the link between these issues and economic security, combating the illicit use of financial networks to finance terrorism or to finance proliferation, it is extremely important, because if these financial networks are used for illicit purposes, it is obviously very detrimental to the proper functioning and -- the proper functioning of the international financial system. So the work that we're doing in combating the use of financial networks for illicit purposes is very critical.

Turning to another area of (inaudible), another area of population security, human security -- protecting the health of our populations against pandemics. This organization reacted, I think, very quickly at the time of the emergence of the avian flu and avian influenza epidemic, and has been working for the sharing of information, sharing of best practices. And now, as we all focus more on issues of food safety and food security, the safety of the food and products supply, I hope that this is also an area in which this organization can play an important role.

So obviously, whether it is the sharing of best practices, the sharing of information, or indeed, the ability to develop methods of sort of crisis management, regional organizations that are as vibrant and as strong as APEC need to be able to be able to respond, in order for us to be able to provide security.

In doing so, if I could close and share a -- an appeal; that we continue to improve the infrastructure of APEC to be able to deal with these issues. And that means both to make certain that the organization has the resources that it needs -- the United States is determined to meet our commitments for those resources -- but also, that we professionalize the secretariat so that the organization can be well staffed, well managed and well served in the interim between these very important high-level meetings.

But if we only have high-level meetings without methods to do the work in between, we're not going to really have the ability to use the full potential of organizations like APEC, which really does, as I said, bring together a remarkable set of countries with remarkable economies, with remarkable potential for economic progress, with remarkable potential for addressing some of the very great challenges that we have and for, I think, a very good atmosphere in which we've learned to work with each other. So thank you very much again for hosting us and for putting this very important multilateral issue on the agenda.

ENDS

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