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Leaders or their representatives of 26 countries and international organizations are meeting in Jakarta Thursday to discuss the massive relief and reconstruction efforts for the earthquake and tsunami hit countries.
The one-day Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami is being held under the auspices of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The massive earthquake and the tsunamis that followed on December 26, 2004, have claimed the lives of over 145,000 people in Asia and Africa.
The heads of state or government, ministers and senior officials of international organizations observed one-minute silence for tsunami victims before heading into discussions to tackle the aftermath of the worst natural disaster in more than 30years.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made an opening speech in the capacity of chairman of the meeting, calling for more help to children in the affected countries whose lives were heavily affected in the disaster.
Country delegations led by heads of state or government are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Countries represented by ministers are India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the US, and Canada.
The international organizations participating in the summit are the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, the United Nations World Health Organization, the World Bank and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Representatives from four European countries -- Britain, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands -- as well as East Timor are attending the summit as observers.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2005)
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