| Submit your comments on this article |
| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia Regrets Rice's No-Show At Asean Regional Forum |
| 2005-07-12 |
| PUTRAJAYA, July 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, while regretting that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will not attend the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) in Vientiane, Laos later this month, however believes that it will not indicate that the United States is giving less importance to Asean. "It is regrettable because in the history of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and the Post Ministerial Conference (PMC), the US has always been represented at the highest level, that is the Secretary of State," said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar. He said he was told that Rice would be absent in both ARF and PMC which would be held on July 24-29 in Vientiane because of her major commitments to the Middle East region... "I think Asean is an equally important regional area. So I do not know what signal we should read from her absence," said Syed Hamid. He also expressed confidence in US Trade Representatives Robert B. Zoellick, who will be representing Rice at both the ARF and PMC, describing Zoellick as a very qualified and capable man. Syed Hamid also said Rice's absence should not be seen as a pressure by the US on Asean to stop Myanmar from holding the regional grouping's chairmanship next year. He believes this is the first time the US would not be sending its Secretary of State to attend the ARF... "I think it has sent a very uneasy signal. I said it with forthrightness. But you can find reasons for it, anyway," said Syed Hamid. |
| Posted by:Pappy |