Chapter 8 - Wrapping Up in Singapore

Summary

Our group from the APEC Secretariat returned to Singapore tired but delighted with the outcome of the Seattle meeting. I held a series of briefings, first with the APEC ambassadors and then with other interested diplomatic missions in Singapore. A delegation from the European Union embassies, led by the German Ambassador, who was clearly there under instructions, called at the Secretariat. He evidently found the whole situation beneath his dignity and looked upon us with disdain through his monocle. Most of his ambassadorial colleagues were delighted to be brought into the picture so that they could report home with some new insights about APEC. Not surprisingly, there was a great deal of interest around the region as to what happened in Seattle.

In my closing weeks, I went to Kuala Lumpur to meet with government officials, and spoke to the first ever joint meeting of the Malaysia–Canada Business Council, the American–Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and the Malaysia–Australia Business Council. I waited until after the Seattle meeting to make my first visit to Malaysia, as I saw no reason to provoke the Malaysian Government. In fact, in Seattle after the Ministerial Meeting, the Malaysian Trade and Industry Minister Seri Rafidah Aziz was most gracious in conveying her compliments for what we had accomplished at the Secretariat. I also spoke at the American Chamber of Commerce meeting in Singapore, and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, and made a quick trip to Hawaii to speak at a CSIS–East-West Center conference.

My last task at the Secretariat was to oversee the negotiations with AT&T for the ACDS. This was achieved in time and I signed the agreement just a few days before leaving to return to the United States.

Ingrid and I went through a round of farewell events, which was not easy, as we had developed strong ties to Singapore in the short time we were there.