Tony Hotland
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
Thu, 12/04/2008
A meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, part of the delayed ASEAN Summit, will take place at the bloc's secretariat in Jakarta on Dec. 15, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
"Thailand has proposed to hold the meeting on that date at the secretariat. This is in line with what our President has previously said, that we should press on with the summit's agenda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday offered for Indonesia to host some of the meetings, including those of the foreign ministers and the finance ministers.
It is still not clear if the meeting of the finance ministers from ASEAN and the group's dialogue partners China, Japan and South Korea will take place in Bali, as offered by Yudhoyono.
Amid its current political turmoil, Thailand has postponed the ASEAN Summit to March. One of the purposes of the summit is to hold the official launch of the long-awaited ASEAN Charter, which will make the 41-year-old bloc a rules-based organization.
On Wednesday, AFP reported some member countries said they disagreed with the postponement, with Singapore urging that the summit be held sooner.
"While Singapore understands why the summit has to be postponed, it should not be delayed more than absolutely necessary," Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.
"With the global financial crisis affecting all countries in ASEAN, the summit should be rescheduled to the earliest possible date, preferably in January, rather than later in March."
The planned venue for the summit had already been shifted out of Bangkok to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.
Malaysia raised doubts over whether Thailand would be able to host the summit at all.
The Jakarta Post , Jakarta
Thu, 12/04/2008
A meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, part of the delayed ASEAN Summit, will take place at the bloc's secretariat in Jakarta on Dec. 15, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
"Thailand has proposed to hold the meeting on that date at the secretariat. This is in line with what our President has previously said, that we should press on with the summit's agenda," Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday offered for Indonesia to host some of the meetings, including those of the foreign ministers and the finance ministers.
It is still not clear if the meeting of the finance ministers from ASEAN and the group's dialogue partners China, Japan and South Korea will take place in Bali, as offered by Yudhoyono.
Amid its current political turmoil, Thailand has postponed the ASEAN Summit to March. One of the purposes of the summit is to hold the official launch of the long-awaited ASEAN Charter, which will make the 41-year-old bloc a rules-based organization.
On Wednesday, AFP reported some member countries said they disagreed with the postponement, with Singapore urging that the summit be held sooner.
"While Singapore understands why the summit has to be postponed, it should not be delayed more than absolutely necessary," Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.
"With the global financial crisis affecting all countries in ASEAN, the summit should be rescheduled to the earliest possible date, preferably in January, rather than later in March."
The planned venue for the summit had already been shifted out of Bangkok to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai.
Malaysia raised doubts over whether Thailand would be able to host the summit at all.
"We'll have to wait (to see) whether Thailand in the future will be able to provide for ASEAN the commitment for the summit," Foreign Minister Rais Yatim told a news conference, while expressing "sadness" about the turmoil.
"Malaysia only hopes that the next government or the next authority in Thailand will be able to foster and germinate the essentials of ASEAN," Rais added.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed "regret" for the postponement, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters in Phnom Penh, adding that Cambodia hoped Thailand could "solve the problem very soon".
Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have called for a postponement.
The Philippines agreed with Thailand's decision.
"A postponement would be favorable given the present circumstances," spokeswoman for Philippines President Gloria Arroyo, Lorelei Fajardo, told reporters.
"It will give Thailand more time to resolve its political crisis and give the members more time to prepare," she said, adding the "safety of participants must also be ensured".
The members of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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