D-8 sign Bali Declaration, strive for further development
14 May, 2006
BALI: The Developing 8 (D-8) here on Saturday signed the Bali Declaration in order to reaffirm the member countries’ determination to strive for further development in various fields, said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyuno at the end of the Fifth D-8 Summit. The declaration showed the member countries’ concerns for economic promotion, attainment of the United Nations’ Millennium Goals, the housing of the poor, the entry to the WTO, the solving of energy crisis, the prevention of pandemic as well as issues of world peace, he said. Xinhua reports that in the declaration, "we call for all the concerned sides to promote dialogue for more understanding of human values" to attain the group’s commitments and activities, said the president at a press conference held on Saturday. "It expresses our renewed commitment to sustain and enhance our cooperation. Of course, to give life to the Bali Declaration, we need to substantiate it with a strong political will," Susilo saidon Saturday morning while opening the summit. The declaration also mentioned a series of D-8 activities to behosted by different member countries, he said. Meanwhile, it was confirmed in the document that the function of the D-8 Secretariat was enhanced with several people appointed as senior officials for the organization, he added. In addition, Susilo mentioned the two agreements that were signed by the member countries earlier on Saturday afternoon. The two important agreements, namely Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and the Multilateral Agreement on Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters, served as the foundation for all member countries to promote intra-trade, said Susilo. Besides, said the president, the member countries’ leaders also had a close-door meeting on Saturday afternoon to discuss the very specific ways and means to achieve their common goals, including the encouragement for the private sector to participate more actively in the national economic development. On Saturday morning, Iran handed over the D-8 chairmanship from 2006 to 2007 to Indonesia. Ministers and senior officials convened from May 10 to 12 right ahead of the summit, while business forum and commodity exhibition were held on the same venue. Trade among the D-8 nations more than doubled to 33 billion U.S. dollars in the six years to 2004, it represents about four percent of the 720 billion U.S. dollars of goods and services exchanged between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The D-8 was established in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 15, 1997. All members, namely Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan, are developing countries with population of Muslims as majority.
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