Exclude India, Australia, NZ from summit: KL
\nfrom summit<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Australia, New Zealand and India should be excluded from a first
\nEast Asia Summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur in December,
\nMalaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Thursday<\/p>\n
The gathering aims to enhance cooperation between the 10-
\nmember Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Japan,
\nSouth Korea and China -- known as ASEAN-Plus-Three -- as part of
\na move towards an East Asian Community.<\/p>\n
"As the East Asia Summit is one of the recommendations of the
\nEast Asia Vision Group and the East Asia Study Group, both of
\nwhich are part of the ASEAN-Plus-Three process, it is only
\nlogical that the participants of the summit should be confined to
\nthe ASEAN-Plus-Three," Najib said.<\/p>\n
The East Asia Summit was agreed at the last ASEAN meeting in
\nVientiane in December, where Australia, New Zealand and India
\nwere represented for the first time. The participation of those
\nthree countries in the new summit was said to be under
\ndiscussion.<\/p>\n
But Najib's speech at a two-day seminar entitled "ASEAN on the
\nMove: Building on Success", made it clear that Malaysia would
\noppose their participation.<\/p>\n
The agreement to hold the summit was seen as a victory for
\nMalaysia, which overcame initial objections from Indonesia to
\nachieve what is seen as a step towards realizing a 1990 proposal
\nby then-premier Mahathir Mohamad for an East Asian Economic
\nCaucus.<\/p>\n
Analysts and diplomats have said a more formal East Asian
\nSummit could replace the ASEAN-Plus-Three framework and
\nunderscore the region's seriousness in pursuing a goal to achieve
\na European Union-style single market and community by 2020.<\/p>\n
Mahathir's original proposal failed to take off because of
\nopposition from the United States which feared it would undermine
\nthe 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.<\/p>\n
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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