Monday, December 15, 2008

ASEAN ministers decide to hold ASEAN summit in Thailand in February

JAKARTA, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Minister of ASEAN member countries have agreed to conduct the 14th summit of the group in Thailand in February, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said here Monday.

The summit initially due to open on Dec. 15-18 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the political unrest in the country led to the postponement of the schedule.

Thai representative at the formalization of ASEAN charter in Jakarta quoted by the Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo as saying that Thailand is ready for the summit.

Romulo said that ministers of ASEAN have made reached a consensus on the place and timing of the summit.

"The summit would be the third week of February," Romulo told reporters here.

Further decision would be made whether the summit would take place in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, said Romulo.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand currently holds the rotating chairmanship.

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