ID :
39173
Tue, 01/06/2009 - 20:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/39173
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Thai Cabinet confirms Feb 27-March 1 ASEAN summit
BANGKOK, Jan 6 (TNA) - Despite threats by anti-government protesters to block the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, the Thai Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to hold the meeting between February 27-March 1 in Bangkok as planned, according to a senior government official.
The cabinet had made an initial agreement that the summit would be held during those days while dates of talks with the bloc's dialogue partners including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
would be fixed later because the leaders of all 16 countries must not be preoccupied with their own concerns, Mr. Veerasak Footrakul, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
He said he would consult with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday on fixing the dates of talks with the dialogue partners as both Japan and Singapore will consider their budgets in early February, China
to hold parliament session in March, and Malaysia to hold major meeting of the ruling AMNO party in late March in which a new prime minister will be appointed.
Reiterating that leaders of the dialogue partners will stand by their engagements and are not worried about the planned protest by the anti-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) which plans to block the summit site, Mr. Veerasak said they have confidence that the Thai government could successfully organise the meeting and believe that normality has returned to Thailand.
He said Thailand's relations with its closest neighbour Cambodia remains warm as Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya is scheduled to visit later this month and Mr. Abhisit will also start visiting Thailand's ASEAN's neighbours with Laos as the first country destination. (TNA)
The cabinet had made an initial agreement that the summit would be held during those days while dates of talks with the bloc's dialogue partners including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand
would be fixed later because the leaders of all 16 countries must not be preoccupied with their own concerns, Mr. Veerasak Footrakul, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
He said he would consult with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday on fixing the dates of talks with the dialogue partners as both Japan and Singapore will consider their budgets in early February, China
to hold parliament session in March, and Malaysia to hold major meeting of the ruling AMNO party in late March in which a new prime minister will be appointed.
Reiterating that leaders of the dialogue partners will stand by their engagements and are not worried about the planned protest by the anti-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) which plans to block the summit site, Mr. Veerasak said they have confidence that the Thai government could successfully organise the meeting and believe that normality has returned to Thailand.
He said Thailand's relations with its closest neighbour Cambodia remains warm as Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya is scheduled to visit later this month and Mr. Abhisit will also start visiting Thailand's ASEAN's neighbours with Laos as the first country destination. (TNA)
