Summit invitations unconfirmed

Summit invitations unconfirmed

JAKARTA (JP): A top ASEAN official said yesterday that there
had been no confirmation on whether Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar
would be invited to the informal ASEAN summit in Bogor in
December.

ASEAN Secretary General Dato Ajit Singh said he could not say
whether the three prospective members of ASEAN would be invited
in December.

He said there would be meetings to arrange the summit that
would decide whether Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar could attend.

"So at the moment I am not in position to give you any firm
answer on that," he said.

During the fifth ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in December 1995, the
leaders agreed to hold an informal summit here later this year.

Officials have speculated that Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar
would be invited to the informal meeting since they had already
taken part in a number of the association's activities at the
summit in Bangkok.

ASEAN ministers are expected to discuss at their meeting here
today whether the three countries should be invited to the
informal summit.

Cambodia and Laos hold ASEAN observer status and are to become
members next year. Myanmar will be inducted as an observer this
morning.

Meanwhile Cambodian foreign minister Ung Huot yesterday
reaffirmed his country's commitment to a smooth entry into ASEAN.

"We have a sort of awareness campaign within our country to
let people know we are now serious, that we are now taking steps
to join ASEAN," he said.

He explained that it was important that people knew the steps
Cambodia was taking.

When asked about his bilateral meeting with Indonesian foreign
minister Ali Alatas yesterday morning, Huot said that he had told
his "old friend" about developments to revitalize Cambodia's
political and economic situation.

"The government of Cambodia has made a commitment to have
political stability to resolve all problems by peaceful means. To
have elections in 1997 for local village chiefs, and in 1998 a
national general election for the national general assembly,"
Huot said.

Ajit Singh in the afternoon met Huot and Laotian foreign
minister Somsavat Lengsavad in separate meetings which he
described as an exchange of information on preparations for the
two countries' memberships.

"The next phase will be the most serious and intense phase of
our preparations and we will be going into the nitty-gritty of
all the various issues including those on negotiations on AFTA,"
he said.

He then asserted, "as far as I'm concerned the ASEAN
secretariat stands ready to assist in anyway we can."

After the meeting with Lengsavad, Ajit Singh said they had
discussed opening Laotian embassies in the ASEAN countries which
did not already have Laotian diplomatic missions.

A delegate with the Loation foreign ministry said that Laos
did not have an embassy in Brunei, the Philippines or Malaysia.
(mds)