VIETNAM: Spouses of Pacific rim leaders sightsee in Hanoi

Spouses of Pacific rim leaders meeting for a weekend economic summit in Hanoi on Saturday (November 18) took a stroll through the capital city's Temple of Literature - the founding site of Vietnam's fist university. Tucked away in a shady park in the heart of Hanoi, Van Mieu was founded in 1070 by Vietnamese Emperor Ly Thanh Tong, and dedicated to Confucius. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of town, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders were holed up at Hanoi's brand new $270 million convention centre looking for ways to break a deadlock in global trade talks. The Doha round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks collapsed in July, mainly due to an impasse over farm subsidies among six key players -- the European Union, India and Brazil and APEC members the United States, Australia and Japan. Although APEC was formed in 1989 to focus on mutual trade and economic concerns, the meetings are regularly hijacked by security issues such as the war on terrorism or North Korea, and this year looked to be no different. All of the countries involved in six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear programmes are in Hanoi except for the North itself, and there was a flurry of one-on-one meetings among leaders of the five countries on Saturday (November 18) to discuss the issue. The spouses will continue their sightseeing as meetings continue on Sunday (November 19). They will visit the ethnology museum, and attend a performance of traditional water puppets.

ITN Source | November 18, 2006

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