As Australia prepares for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Prime Minister John Howard took to the Internet to speak with Australians about security "inconveniences" and rowdy protesters.
In an eight-minute video message posted on , APEC spokesperson Anne Fulwood and Howard speak about the extra security measures that have been put in place to deal with possible threats to world leaders.
"Violent protesters will most probably target APEC. There will be other protesters who will do so peacefully but for those who don't and seek to disrupt APEC, there will be significant policing and security responses taken," Fulwood said.
The mention of security and protesters came more than five minutes into the video.
Sydney is already under a security stronghold in anticipation of the international summit.
More than 5,000 police and troops have been deployed to keep watch and authorities have already closed down a section of Sydney's downtown core with concrete and steel barriers. Jet-skis and speed boats are also patrolling the harbour for signs of trouble.
"So far there's been a focus on the potential inconvenience caused by the APEC meeting," Howard said in the video. "Unfortunately, extra security percautions that need to be taken are a necessary part of hosting such a meeting in today's world."
The meeting with 21 world leaders, including U.S. President George Bush and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is an annual high-profile summit to discuss economic interests in the Pacific-Asian region. Meetings will begin this week until Sept. 9.
Climate change and energy policies will likely be the issues at the top of the agenda along with human rights and trade.
Howard addressed protesters in his video message, saying discussions at the APEC summit shouldn't be interrupted because of their importance to key issues.
"I simply ask (disruptive protesters) to stop for a moment and consider that if they really are worried about the issues such as poverty, security and climate change, then they should support APEC and not attack it," he said.
