LIMA (Peru) - THE revolving door policy used to fill the job of Apec director will stop in 2010, when a more permanent solution is put in place.

Then, an executive director will be hired to serve a three-year term.

Currently, that position - which is akin to being the chief executive officer of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) secretariat - changes hands every year with the chairmanship.

The proposal to set up the post was given the green light by Apec trade and foreign ministers during their two-day meeting in Peru which ended on Thursday.

In the joint statement released after the meetings, the ministers asked that the selection process be started and the appointment be completed before the end of next year.

The endorsement by ministers marks a small victory for Singapore, which has been the main driving force behind the move. The current Apec chief is Mr Juan Carlos Capunay of Peru.

Former Singapore ambassador to Russia Michael Tay, the deputy director of the secretariat, which is based in Singapore, hailed the move as a 'significant milestone' for Apec.

He told The Straits Times the fixed-term position would offer the office more continuity and a chance to build on past work. The current system, he said, left the office without 'institutional memory'.

'Because we have been rotating CEOs every year, the executive director's main focus is not to build up the institution, It is to look after the chairman's interest, the chair country's interest,' he said.

'In the process what we have begun to lack is building capacity within the secretariat. That requires a manager who can stay for three years.'

As Singapore assumes the chairmanship of Apec next year, Mr Tay will take over as director, effectively becoming the last person to fill the post.

One of his tasks is to help choose the first fixed-term executive director and ensure a smooth handover.

Said Mr Tay: 'I have to try cleaning up the house as much as I can, set the pattern for the next executive director to do the job very quickly, to hit the ground running and not try and build the institution from scratch.'