In the final countdown it’s bigger than Ben Hur

A report in The Daily Telegraph says that by the sheer weight of numbers this week’s APEC meeting is impressive.

Five chefs, 150 national security advisers, 250 Secret Service agents, 200 public servants, 50 political aides and 15 sniffer dog teams – welcome to APEC American style.

The monstrous US delegation invading Sydney for this week’s leaders’ summit is more than three times the size of any other, with even host nation Australia only having 300 hangers-on, while the US APEC following is about 1000.

President George W Bush will arrive tonight on the $400 million Air Force One – a mobile command centre designed to withstand a nuclear blast – with an identical Boeing 474 in tow as a back-up.

Following both aircraft is another 747 for everyone else, including 150 White House journalists, medical staff, advisers, public servants, Secret Service agents, dogs and cooks, plus two or three transport planes to carry the presidential helicopter, Marine One, and dozens of motorcade vehicles including limousines, Secret Service wagons, VIP guest vans and an ambulance.

Mr Bush’s entourage has as many drivers as Peru’s entire delegation.

Every time Mr Bush steps into his limousine, Cadillac One – replete with run-flat tyres and specially built to withstand anti-tank grenade launchers and chemical and biological attacks – he is flanked by nearly two dozen vehicles.

Most are filled with Secret Service agents ready to put their lives on the line for the leader of the free world. Then there’s the local police escort – including cars, motorcycles and additional aerial surveillance.

Prime Minister John Howard would well be hoping this week’s summit produces some inroads into developing a global greenhouse emissions target.

Taxpayers will be slugged more than $300 million to host the event, which includes spending $170 million on security – including the $600,000 NSW Police water cannon.

Latest APEC statistics reveal 14,500 people have been accredited for APEC, everything from hospitality staff to caterers, drivers and entertainers – including singers in the Australian Children’s Choir.

About 1500 domestic and international media representatives will cover the event, while 3500 NSW police officers will be deployed across 22,000 shifts.

A further 1500 defence personnel and 800 security guards will be on duty, and 500 prison beds are ready and waiting for arrested protesters.

Five hundred volunteers – all of them tertiary students and many bilingual – will be stationed around the city to help out.

Nearly 25,000 room nights have been booked in 24 of the city’s hotels, including the InterContinental Hotel where Mr Bush will be staying for the bargain price of $4,345 a night.

While many of the hotels delegates are staying in declared zones – where police can move anyone on – the InterContinental is in a restricted zone – for authorised delegates only.

In total 4000 delegates from the 21 APEC countries will attend this week’s summit.

After the US party of 1000, Australia and Japan’s delegations are the next biggest with 300, followed by 250 from Russia, 200 from China, 150 from Canada, 120 from Korea, 95 from Indonesia, 80 from Thailand and 75 from the Philippines.

Next year’s APEC host nation – Peru – has 35.

Mr Howard has also invited 500 business delegates for this week’s business summit.

This week’s summit is the biggest and most important event Australia has ever hosted, with Mr Howard describing it as “undeniably the most important international meeting ever to have been held in Australia”; an “extraordinary event”.

By sheer weight of numbers APEC is more than impressive.

The 21 member economies make up nearly half the world’s population, and represent a combined GDP of $19.5 trillion, or about 56 per cent of world GDP.

A far cry from the modest gathering at Canberra’s Hyatt in 1989 – the press centre was a tent – this week’s event will be bigger than Ben Hur.

Report by The Mole