U.S. says most members to attend APEC meeting

U.S. says most members to attend APEC meeting

SINGAPORE (AP): Despite concerns about the arrest and police
treatment of Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar
Ibrahim, most leaders will attend a meeting of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum in Kuala Lumpur next month, a U.S.
assistant secretary of state said Wednesday.

The United States is "deeply worried about... the horrifying
treatment of one of the most respected of the new generation of
Asian leadership," Stanley Roth, in charge of East Asian and
Pacific affairs, told a news conference.

Nevertheless, Roth said, the APEC meeting is not a Malaysian
event, but a regional one. The rotation for hosting it happened
to fall to Kuala Lumpur.

"I think that most people have made it clear that they intend
to go," he said. "There is a consensus among the leadership that,
despite the internal developments in Kuala Lumpur, that this is a
very important meeting."

He said the White House had made it clear that U.S. President
Clinton is attending an international conference, not making a
state or official visit to Malaysia. Roth said no meeting between
Clinton and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has been
scheduled at this point.

Malaysian police confirmed earlier Wednesday that Anwar had
been released from detention under the Internal Security Act,
which allowed police to prohibit him from seeing visitors. He was
transferred from a police jail to a regular prison as he awaits
trial Nov. 2 on charges of corruption in connection with
allegations of illegal homosexual activity.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada and Indonesian President
B.J. Habibie met Tuesday night specifically to discuss Anwar,
whom both have described as a friend.

Neither Estrada nor Habibie have decided whether to attend
APEC, their foreign ministers said.