MIAMI. Dec 11: Leaders of the hemisphere's 34 demo-’ cracles plan lo begin work next month to reach their goal of creating the world's largest duty-free’ zone by the year 2005. reports AP.

The Free Trade Area of the Americas would stretch from the northernmost reaches of Alaska and Canada to Argentina's Tierra del Fuego at the Southern tip of South America — a potential market of 850 million people.

"The agreement, is specific and concrete." President Clinton said in announcing the pact Saturday as all the hemispheres leaders except Cuba's Fidel Castro stood at his side."Talks will begin next month."

After announcing the agreement during an outside picture-taking ceremony at a villa overlooking Blscayne Bay. the leaders waved giddily at photographers and raised each other's arms In a victory

gesture.

The leaders also adopted a programme of more than 100 action items, including environmental cooperation, anti corruption measures, anti narcotics and money laundering efforts, and steps to promote democracy, education and healthcare.

The leaders had been expected to announce the agreement on Sunday, but got a jump on themselves by announcing it early. On Sunday. Clinton is expected to announce that the United States will enter negotiations in the meantime to establish free trade with Chile.

In the broader summit discussions. ' the leaders rejected an initial US proposal to require environment and labour standards as part of future trade accords, settling instead on less direct language that says trade and environmental policies should be "mutually supportive."

On another sensitive ma'-tter. they agreed to promote worker rights as economic integration proceeds.

Leaders of countries that produce the world’s cocaine used the summit to press rich, drug-consuming nations to bear more of the burden in the war on drugs.

Peruvian President Alberto! Fujimori called the US-led war on drugs a "disaster." He’ said US strategies promoting crop substitution, eradicating drug producing plants and financing local law enforcement agencies have failed.

In addition to trade, the leaders also agreed to phase out lead in gasoline, strengthen laws on pesticides and pollution prevention, and include biodiversity protection in forestry, agriculture and coastal management.

While the leaders worked behind closed doors, Cubans took to the streets by the tens of thousands to call on leaders

attending the Summit of the Americas to jointly denounce Castro. They marched from Miami's Little Havana district about 12 blocks to the Orange Bowl, many waving signs denouncing Clinton for not putting Cuba on the summit agenda.

' None of us — none of us — underestimates the hard work ahead." Clinton said. "But from the .leaders of our hemisphere’s largest economies to the smallest, we believe the rewards will be great arid very much worth the efforts."

Despite the 2005 deadline . the agreement calls for "real. progress before the end of the century." Clinton said, in an apparent bow to Argentina and other, countries that had sought a deadline of 2000.

The leaders' promised to help smaller countries that

-would have a hard time meeting the deadline. Clinton said.