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.