SYDNEY, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Asian-Pacific leaders Sunday concluded their summit in Sydney by pledging support for stalled global trade talks.
The 21 leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum said it was "urgent" to break a deadlock over trade in agricultural and manufactured goods to resume the World Trade Organization talks, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
APEC countries account for nearly half of the world's trade.
On other issues, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the summit's most important contribution was the so-called "Sydney Declaration" aimed at influencing a new global strategy on climate change.
"We got down to earnest discussions on climate change and energy security from the perspectives of how we will be able to secure prosperity for the entire world," Howard said.
During their annual summit, the APEC leaders also addressed greater cooperation on the regional economy, anti-terrorism initiatives and natural disaster planning.
