KL condemns Europe over ASEM meetings

KL condemns Europe over ASEM meetings

MALAYSIA: Malaysia criticized European countries on Monday for
canceling two meetings with Asian partners because of a rift over
the attendance of military-ruled Myanmar.

"Just because they are not satisfied with one country it
should not then cause the meetings to be abandoned. They should
not try to impose conditions, it's not productive," Foreign
Minister Syed Hamid Albar told a news conference.

A finance ministers' gathering next month of the Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) group in Brussels and a September meeting of ASEM
economy ministers in Rotterdam have been canceled, casting doubt
over an October summit.

The July 5 meeting of ASEM finance ministers would have been
the first between the two regions since the European Union (EU)
expanded from 15 to 25 nations last month. --AFP