All of the 10 ASEAN countries have decided to take part in the ASEAN informal summit on SARS scheduled to be held here April 29, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday.
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai was quoted as saying that the ASEAN meeting on SARS would comprise delegates from all 10 ASEAN countries including Myanmar Prime Minister Than Shwe, Laotian Prime Minister Boonyang Vorachit, Indonesia's President Megawati Sukarnoputri and a Malaysian deputy leader.
ASEAN members have expressed no problems with Chinese representatives attending the summit, although the meeting must now have a new, two-part format -- the first part with ASEAN leaders and then an ASEAN-plus-China segment, Surakiart said.
On Monday, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin said that the summit proposed by Singapore would increase global confidence in the way the region was dealing with the problem.
He also stressed that China's awareness of the importance of preventing the spread of SARS would also help curb the problem.
(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2003)
