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.