The members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who are here attending the bloc's senior officials meetings, expressed confidence of success of the Beijing Olympic Games on Wednesday.
They were briefed on recent developments in Tibet by the Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs He Yafei during the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials Meeting here, which includes 10-member ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea.
They "welcomed the restoration of normalcy and the latest move of the Chinese government to have contact and consultation with the private representative of the Dalai Lama," said Singapore's Foreign Ministry in a statement.
"This will help restore stability," it added.
They also said, "Linking the Tibetan issue with the Beijing Olympics will serve no purpose other than to politicize the Games."
"It is in the interest of the region that a long-term solution be found that addresses the concerns of the Tibetan people while respecting China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
ASEAN's members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Singapore is the current chair of the bloc.
(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2008)