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Indonesia offers to host Asean meetings
Indonesia has offered to step in to host some South-East Asian ministerial meetings due to be held next month in Thailand because of the political crisis in its neighbour, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:41 December 2, 2008
Jakarta: Indonesia has offered to step in to host some South-East Asian ministerial meetings due to be held next month in Thailand because of the political crisis in its neighbour, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday.
Thailand said a final decision on the December 13-17 Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) and East Asian meetings is due today, a week after anti-government protesters first blockaded Bangkok's international airport.
"I will propose at the cabinet meeting tomorrow to postpone the summit to March as we can't open our airport for leaders' planes to land yet," Thai foreign minister Sompong Amornwiwat told reporters on Monday.
Indonesia and Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan were offering to hold the foreign ministers' meeting of the 10-member South-East Asian bloc and three East Asian dialogue partners in the Asean Secretariat offices in Jakarta, Yudhoyono said.
A meeting of finance ministers could be held in Bali, he added.
"Those events are important to officially introduce the Asean Charter and formulate joint action to overcome the global financial crisis," he said.
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