President Macapagal Arroyo to Launch Business Leaders Meeting this Week

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former President Fidel V. Ramos will lead discussions with senior Asia-Pacific business figures when they meet in Cebu, the Philippines, on August 12-15 for the Third 2006 Meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council.

Made up of senior business people that are hand picked by the Leaders of APEC's 21 Member Economies, ABAC meets four times each year in a different location to address issues of concern to the regional business community. Through this process ABAC prepares a series of recommendations that are delivered to APEC Leaders at their annual meeting. This year the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting will take place in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on November 18-19.

The ABAC Cebu Meeting will also include a Premiere Conference to celebrate the group's tenth anniversary, and will bring together current and past members and eminent persons to examine where the region has come from and prospects for future business facilitation and trade liberalization.

Other key topics to be discussed will include business views on the state of WTO DDA negotiations, a study exploring the idea of an Asia-Pacific FTA, and preparations for the group's meeting with APEC Leaders in November in Ha Noi.

Guest speakers at the meeting include:

Saturday August 12
- H.E. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines
- Jagdish Bhagwati. Columbia University Professor of Economics & Law

Sunday August 13
- The Hon. Fidel V. Ramos, Former President of the Philippines
- Supachai Panitchpakdi, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary General

Monday August 14
- Juan Miguel Luz, International Rural Reconstruction Institute;
- Paul Peters, Opportunity International;

Vision and photographs of meetings in progress can be arranged only by prior agreement with the ABAC Philippines or ABAC International Secretariat Offices.