India to remain outside Apec for now

India and around 10 other countries will remain excluded from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum for at least three years, Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced Sunday.
"We agreed to revisit the issue of membership in 2010," Howard said at the end of Apec's annual summit in Sydney, at which the accession of India to the regional grouping was discussed.
Backed by Australia, which hosted this year's summit, India has been knocking on the door of the forum for years and had been hoping the end of a 10-year moratorium on new members from 1997 would help its case.