12 Asian Foreign Ministers to Attend Dialogue Meeting

Twelve Asian countries have confirmed to send their foreign ministers to attend the first Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) meeting to be held in Thailand between June 18 and 19, the Thai Foreign Ministry announced Monday.

These countries are China, South Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, Bahrain and Thailand, according to a statement from the ministry.

Six other countries, namely Myanmar, Indonesia, Brunei, India, Qatar and Japan will be represented by lower-level officials.

The meeting, to be held in the Cha Am resort, 150 kilometers south of the capital, is a Thai initiative aimed to enhance Asia'scollective bargaining power in the global economic arena.

"This is a historical event for Asia, that all of Asia agrees to form a group to come for talks on finding joint trade, investment, tourism and cultural strategies, and for the goal of enhancing Asian power in coping with trade disputes with other regions of the world," said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whoviewed the ACD concept as the core of his foreign policy.

Local analysts said it is a pity that foreign ministers of key regional players such as Japan, India and Indonesia will not be present at the meeting.

"Japan, which accounts for two-thirds of the region's economy, should send a minister here to make the meeting more credible," said a political analyst at the local Chulalongkorn University.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2002)