All ASEAN ministers to attend EU meeting

All ASEAN ministers to attend EU meeting

BANGKOK (AFP): All ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers are to attend a meeting with the European Union (EU) in Laos next week, the Thai foreign ministry said on Thursday.

But only four of their EU counterparts are expected to be present at the dialog, as the others have said they are committed to attending a crucial meeting of European leaders in Nice.

The meeting in the Laotian capital Vientiane will be the first between the two groups since ASEAN admitted military-ruled Myanmar as a member in 1997, prompting an EU boycott of the annual dialogue.

Thailand has been one of the main driving forces behind setting up the Dec. 11-12 meeting, after last year being given the task of restoring ministerial-level relations with the EU.

The level of European representation was said to have caused some consternation within ASEAN, and Malaysia last month threatened to downgrade its involvement if the European bloc sent too many "low ranking officials".

However, the Thai foreign ministry said all the ASEAN ministers were now attending, despite suggestions some may have opted to stay away during the Muslim holiday of Ramadhan.

Foreign ministers from Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Finland plan to travel to Vientiane for the talks, while France and the Netherlands will be represented by ministers from other portfolios, according to the Thai foreign ministry.

The delegations of six countries -- Britain, Italy, United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Greece and Iceland -- will be headed by deputy ministers, while Spain, Denmark and Austria will be represented by senior officials or ambassadors.

A Thai foreign ministry spokesman said the two blocs would address a wide range of issues, including the contentious topic of the current situation in Myanmar, where the junta has been holding opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest for more than two months.

"But I don't know to what extent they will address this topic as they will be aiming to preserve a cordial atmosphere," the spokesman said.

The Nation newspaper said on Thursday that after lengthy debate, the two sides had agreed to include the issue of human rights in their joint declaration.

The document would also state that cooperation between the two groupings should be based on "balanced interests", the report said.

Senior officials from ASEAN and the EU will meet on Dec. 8-9 before the ministers gather on Dec. 11-12.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.