ASEAN to discuss Spratlys issue

ASEAN to discuss Spratlys issue

MANILA (AFP): A peaceful settlement of the conflicting claims to the Spratly islands dispute in the South China Sea will be discussed at the forthcoming ASEAN regional forum in Bangkok, Philippine Foreign Secretary Roberto Romulo said yesterday.

Romulo also hinted that he would take up Vietnam's construction of a lighthouse on the edge of Spratlys territory claimed by the Philippines in a one-on-one meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart.

The July 25 ASEAN meeting in Bangkok will bring together members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as well as consultative partners such as the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, Russia and Vietnam.

The meeting will take up security concerns in the region both among ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- as well as those of the consultative partners.