At Los Cabos summit APEC leaders reaffirmed their determination to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism

At the summit in Los Cabos the heads of state and government of the countries of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation reaffirmed their determination to strengthen cooperation in the struggle against terrorism.

In the final declaration the APEC leaders stated that terrorism is a "direct challenge" to the countries of the region and noted the necessity of "taking retaliatory measures in deciding this question." The document stresses that the participants in the 10th APEC summit discussed the threat terrorism poses "to regional security and prosperity", highlighting also the importance of maintaining a stable flow of goods, capital and people, which is the key factor for economic growth in the region." The terrorist acts in Moscow, on Bali island and in the Philippines were emphatically condemned in the course of the summit's work. In the joint statement the APEC leaders expressed condolences to the peoples of the countries whose citizens became victims of these barbarous terrorist acts, and backed the actions of the governments of Russia, Indonesia and the Philippines to combat terrorism and to eradicate it.

Head of the Russian government Mikhail Kasyanov, speaking before the members of the APEC Business Consultative Council, stated that the recent tragic events, beginning from the September 11th terrorist acts in the USA to the seizure of hostages in Moscow, convincingly show the necessity of even greater solidarity of the international community in combating terrorism.

According to him, the struggle against international terrorism must acquire "a powerful economic dimension", which requires consolidation of the entire international community. The Premier stressed that this task was directly linked to the necessity of stemming the sources of financing terrorism which is based on "dirty money" earned through contraband and arms trade.