DPA
Bangkok - US President Barack Obama plans to invite the 10 leaders of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Washington next year to further strengthen ties with the region, media reports said Sunday. "Kurt Campbell, the assistant state secretary for East Asia and Pacific, revealed during an informal talk with international participants attending a conference in Washington on Burma (Myanmar) last week that Obama would make an official (invitation) announcement during the upcoming ASEAN-US summit in Singapore," The Nation newspaper reported.
Campbell is scheduled to visit Myanmar this week to discuss Washington's "re-engagement" policy with the pariah state, a member of ASEAN since 1997.
Obama will meet with seven of the ASEAN leaders in Singapore on November 15 after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
APEC's 21 members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taipei, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
APEC excludes ASEAN members Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Since taking office in January, Obama has pursued a policy of re-engagement with South-East Asia, a region increasingly sidelined by the faster economic growth and diplomatic clout of Asian giants China and India.
In Singapore, the ASEAN-US meeting is expected to discuss the possibility of a free trade agreement between the US and South- East Asia, The Nation said.
Campbell is scheduled to visit Myanmar this week to discuss Washington's "re-engagement" policy with the pariah state, a member of ASEAN since 1997.
Obama will meet with seven of the ASEAN leaders in Singapore on November 15 after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
APEC's 21 members include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, The Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taipei, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
APEC excludes ASEAN members Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Since taking office in January, Obama has pursued a policy of re-engagement with South-East Asia, a region increasingly sidelined by the faster economic growth and diplomatic clout of Asian giants China and India.
In Singapore, the ASEAN-US meeting is expected to discuss the possibility of a free trade agreement between the US and South- East Asia, The Nation said.
5 comments:
Oh NO not ah HUn SEn.
Good timing for Cambodian Americans to work with elected officials and government to find venue to curb Viet influence over Cambodia .
Same time Cambodian Americans will organize and rally protest on how bad human rights in Cambodia when Som'ach Dejo in town.
I hope Hun Sen will be invited because he will talk face to face with the most powerful man in the world Obama and I hope he will have a heart attack when Obama brings up his humanright abuse in Cambodia . I think he will have a heart attact because he can't yell to Obama like he does to anyone in Cambodia.
If Hun Sen comes , I think he might face protesters because the United States respects Human Rights and will let you protest against anyone anywhere you want to as long as you don't break the law . It's not like in Cambodia
hey, got to give the benefit of the doubt. maybe these asean leadership needs a wake up call, really! have you ever heard of forgiveness, cooperation and all in the name of humanitarian and humanity, etc... don't let past unwanted background of a leader get in the way of brighter future cooperation, etc..., really! nothing stays the same forever, you know! and nobody lives forever either, really! everything changes inevitably, depends on which way you want them to change; it's up to your foreign policy, really! people change, too, you know! don't be so selfish, let's all help to make a difference in the world, really!
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