BUSAN (South Korea), Nov 19: Asia-Pacific leaders on Saturday pledged to break up terrorist groups and prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Wrapping up a two-day summit, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum also challenged the European Union to make deeper cuts in farm subsidies, vowed action against bird flu and urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

But efforts to rescue the Dec 13-18 World Trade Organization meeting in Hong Kong, which aims to finalize an ambitious accord on breaking down trade barriers, dominated the gathering in the South Korean city of Busan.

The 21 Apec leaders, whose economies account for nearly 50 percent of world trade, issued a statement calling for compromise on agriculture to keep the so-called Doha round of WTO talks alive.

The statement did not mention the EU by name, but it rejected the EU’s position that it has made enough compromises on agriculture and followed growing irritation in Brussels with Apec pressure.

“A successful conclusion to the Doha Round is crucial for the future credibility of the WTO,” said the leaders including US President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

“We call for the breaking of the current impasse in agriculture negotiations ... Avoiding or compromising our ambition on this issue would mean that we lower expectations for the round as a whole.”

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin told reporters some Apec members wanted to name the EU but that several countries with large farm subsidies, such as Japan, objected.

But he added: “We have already said that Europe’s agricultural policy is not satisfactory, and is absolutely unacceptable.”

As the WTO battles to avoid disaster in Hong Kong, pressure is building on the EU to end generous aid to farmers, which critics say distorts competition from less developed countries.

The 25-nation bloc has refused to match a US offer on cutting farm subsidies and says an offer to cut its overall tariff rate from 23 percent to 12 percent is final.

However cracks quickly emerged in Apec’s resolve, with Japan saying it had no plans to offer cuts in its agriculture subsidies before Hong Kong and even suggesting a possible alliance with the EU.

“We will follow what Apec leaders promised over the issue,” said a Japanese official, asking to remain anonymous. “But we are still willing to join hands with the EU on a necessary basis during the WTO meeting in Hong Kong.”

The leaders’ main statement, the Busan Declaration, pledged initiatives to combat bird flu while Australia unveiled a 70 million-dollar plan to fight a possible pandemic.

“We agreed on collective practical measures, including: strengthening cooperation and technical assistance among Apec economies to limit influenza at its source and prevent human outbreaks,” the leaders said.

They also pledged to test if the region was ready to cope with a pandemic, to improve information and border controls, and to hold an exercise in 2006 testing regional responses.

More than 60 human deaths from bird flu have been recorded in Apec countries and the meeting followed new outbreaks and deaths in China and Indonesia, both Apec members.

The declaration pledged to eliminate weapons of mass destruction and to dismantle terrorist groups.

“We condemned terrorist acts in the region that took thousands of lives and aimed to destabilise economic prosperity and security in the Asia-Pacific region,” it said.

The leaders also promised to address high oil prices, boost action against corruption and improve disaster preparedness.

The leaders ended their summit with a traditional Apec photo shoot in the national dress of the host nation, colourful silk robes decorated with an elaborate bow.

South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun read the declaration and included a statement on North Korea, praising progress in six-party talks and urging Pyongyang to stick by commitments to abandon nuclear weapons.

The leaders held Saturday’s talks at a purpose-built 19-million-dollar house perched on a rocky islet off the coast.

Around 1,000 anti-globalisation protesters marched towards the venue along the Busan seafront. The protest followed occasionally violent clashes Friday when some 10,000 demonstrators rallied against the summit’s free trade agenda.

The Apec forum was launched in 1989 and aims to establish a free trade area among members by 2020. It only makes non-binding agreements. The summit will be held in Vietnam next year. —AFP