BUSAN, South Korea, Nov. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- APEC ministers stressed here the need for further enhancing public-private partnership to strengthen cooperation in combating terrorism.

    Ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) reiterated in a joint statement issued here after winding up two-day meetings that terrorism is a serious threat to the security, stability and the growth of the APEC region.

    The ministers encouraged APEC economies to continue to develop new initiatives to dismantle transnational terrorist groups, to eliminate the danger posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

    In this connection, the APEC ministers welcome Singapore's initiative to host a symposium on Total Supply Chain Security in 2006.

    The ministers also recognized the need to further facilitate secure trade, to reduce public health hazards and to reduce the threat of economic disruption through incidents related to radioactive materials.

    Ministers agreed to instruct officials to advance the APEC initiative on capacity building for machine readable travel documents and biometrics technology to enhance regional security.

    They also called for further cooperation to ensure that all APEC members issue machine-readable travel documents, if possible,with biometric information by the end of 2008.

    The ministers also reiterated their common understanding that APEC needed to continue building capacities and stressed the appropriate capacity building activities and best practices should be identified and made available to developing economies for the implementation of security measures. Enditem