BUSAN, S. Korea, Nov. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Asia-Pacific Rim leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to achieving trade and investment liberalization and facilitation in the region by 2010 and 2020, said a draft statement on Wednesday.

    The 21 members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum "resolved to continually push it forward in this regard," said the statement obtained by Xinhua.

    The statement were drafted by APEC foreign and trade ministers at their two-day meeting that ended on Wednesday, and will be submitted to the leaders of APEC economies for endorsement when they hold their summit meeting in the S. Korean coastal city of Busan on Friday and Saturday.

    "The ministers remained fully committed to achieving the Bogor Goals of free and open trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific by 2010 for developed members and 2020 for developing countries as stipulated in the Bogor Declaration in 1994.

    "The ministers emphasized that the Bogor goals, the core organizing principle of APEC, aimed at promoting sustainable growth and prosperity in the region," said the statement.

    The statement said the ministers "welcomed the progress made by(APEC) economies towards meeting the target established under the 2001 TFAP (Trade Facilitation Action Plan) of a 5-percent reduction in trade facilitation costs by 2006" and "agreed to another 5 percent reduction by 2010."

    The stand-alone statement came as part of APEC's efforts to revive the Doha round of WTO trade negotiations that have stalled due to strong resistance from many European and other developed economies to cut their farm subsidies.

    The special statement was expected to send a strong message and put pressure on the WTO to move trade negotiations forward.

    Ministers from 148 members of the WTO are to convene what many experts believe will be a make-or-break meeting in Hong Kong next month.

    According to Kim Hyun-chong, South Korea's trade minister and co-host of the APEC Ministerial Meeting, the APEC leaders are also expected to call for significant reductions in domestic subsidies among all APEC economies as well as WTO members, and urge balanced progress on the issues at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 13-18.

    The statement is also expected to pressure WTO negotiators to put more emphasis on development, while calling for "significant progress" in negotiations on the issue of least-developed countries at the Hong Kong meeting, Kim told a press conference. Enditem