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Asia, Europe leaders hammer out pledges on global warming, trade, terror
2006-09-11
European and Asian leaders, representing nearly half the world's population, have began rounding up talks with calls to help workers profit more from globalisation, promises to keep up the battle against terrorism and pledges to tackle global warming. With the second day of their summit coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, they held a moment of silence in commemoration during a morning session of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Helsinki. The leaders and top officials from 38 Asian and European nations had earlier discussed common threats both their regions face, ranging from terrorism to pandemics and some of the more negative sides of globalisation. On the second and final day of talks, they were to try to show that ASEM was not just a talking shop but a forum that can produce real benefits for their citizens. Although their discussions have ranged widely from security, trade and workers' rights, a joint declaration on what to do about global warming after the Kyoto Protocol on climate change runs out in 2012 was expected to be the most concrete outcome of the summit. "It is needless to say that climate change can have drastic consequences both for Europe and Asia," said Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen of Finland, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency. "We need to send a strong message about climate change and our common will to tackle this challenge," he said. A senior Finish official added that "the basic idea is to find a platform for work after 2012," the end of current commitments under the UN's Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. After World Trade Organisation talks acrimoniously ground to a halt in July, the leaders were also expected to include in their final statement a call for the negotiations 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 turned 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.
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