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The meeting between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its 10 dialogue partners (10+10) ended in Phnom Penh Thursday after issuing the Chairman's Press Statement.
In the press statement, participants first expressed their support of the "roadmap" peace process worked by the Quartet states and welcomed the acceptance by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of the roadmap.
However, they deplored the continued violence being carried out by extremist organizations in the Middle East, saying Israel and the Palestinian Authority shared the responsibility in maintaining peace in that region.
On Iraq, they urged for international cooperation in the provision of basic necessities to the people of Iraq and envisioned a vital UN role in Iraqi issue.
They noted with satisfaction ASEAN's cooperative arrangements with China, the United States, European Union, and Russia in counter-terrorism and other non-traditional security issues.
On the economic front, the participants reiterated their support for the expeditious admission of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam into WTO.
Agreeing to giving support to the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), they believed that the efforts will do a good job in narrowing the development gap within the regional orgainzation.
The participants also thanked China, Japan and South Korea for their assistance in the projects of the Singapore-Kunming rail link, the East-West corridor development and IAI items.
They stressed the need to intensify exchange of information on perpetrators and crime organizations among the immigration and law enforcement authorities.
ASEAN+10 meeting, part of Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC), was participated by foreign ministers or representatives of ASEAN members and 10 dialogue partners.
ASEAN dialogue partners are Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.
Before the meeting opened, foreign ministers of the dialogue partners paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in the Office of the Council of Ministers.
(Xinhua News Agrency June 20, 2003)
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