Japan backs Australian, NZ and Indian bids for summit<\/p>\n
Agence France-Presse, Singapore<\/p>\n
Japan said in Singapore on Tuesday it supports bids by Australia,
\nNew Zealand and India to join an inaugural East Asia Summit in
\nMalaysia later this year, as well as possible observer status by
\nthe United States.<\/p>\n
Japanese foreign ministry spokesman Hatsuhisa Takashima said
\nthe foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN) and their ASEAN Plus 3 counterparts from China,
\nJapan and South Korea should discuss the issue when they meet in
\nLaos later this month.<\/p>\n
The discussions should focus on the "actual modality" and the
\nagenda for the meeting, Takashima told reporters in Singapore at
\nthe end of a one-day visit by Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka
\nMachimura.<\/p>\n
Machimura met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
\nDefense Minister Teo Chee Hean and Foreign Minister George Yeo
\nduring his whirlwind stopover here.<\/p>\n
Both Machimura and Yeo agreed that Australia, New Zealand and
\nIndia should participate in the summit to be held in Malaysia in
\nDecember involving prime ministers and presidents, Takashima
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"The two foreign ministers had the same view that not only
\nIndia's participation, but also Australians' and New Zealanders'
\nparticipation would be very probable and they both expect that
\nASEAN Plus Six would be the first members of the East Asian
\nSummit meeting," he said.<\/p>\n
ASEAN Plus 6 refers to ASEAN's 10 members plus China, Japan,
\nSouth Korea, Australia, India and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Takashima also said Japan supports "some sort of observer
\nstatus" by the United States at the summit if other members
\naccept it.<\/p>\n
Australia's participation is seen as the most contentious
\nbecause it has yet to sign an ASEAN non-aggression pact which the
\ngrouping has laid down as a precondition to its attendance at the
\nsummit.<\/p>\n
A Malaysian official said last week the Southeast Asian
\nforeign ministers will decide whether Australia will attend the
\nsummit when they meet in Laos.<\/p>\n
ASEAN has called on Canberra to sign the Treaty of Amity and
\nCooperation after Prime Minister John Howard last year raised the
\npossibility of Australia launching pre-emptive strikes against
\nterrorist bases throughout the region.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia would sign
\nthe treaty as long as it did not interfere with other alliances,
\nincluding Canberra's military ties with the United States.<\/p>\n
The meeting of the East Asian foreign ministers in Laos is
\npart of the annual ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.<\/p>",
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