S'pore to host AMED meeting

S'pore to host AMED meeting

SINGAPORE: Singapore announced on Tuesday that it would host an inaugural meeting of officials and other influential figures from Asia and the Middle East next year to boost regional links and counter Islamic extremism.

Acting Foreign Minister Raymond Lim told parliament that the first Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED) is scheduled to be held over two days in June 2005 with participants drawn from some 50 countries.

"The aim is to forge closer political, security, economic and socio-cultural relations between peoples of the two regions," Lim said.

Government officials, academics, religious leaders and other opinion makers will be invited to take part, said Lim, who stressed that the dialogue would not be a one-off gathering.

Egypt has offered to host the second meeting in 2006 and Bahrain has expressed interest in hosting a future meeting, he said.

The dialog will provide a platform to highlight the changes taking place in the Middle East to eastern Asia and the rest of the world, as well as the framework for eastern Asia and the Middle East to interact more intensively, Lim said. --AFP