Saturday, April 11, 2009

ASEAN leaders 'understand' summit's end


UPI
April 11

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders understand the Thai government's decision to cancel this weekend's summit.

Wen spoke by telephone Saturday to his Thai counterpart, Abhisit Vejjajiva, who extended to China, Japan and South Korea the government's "profound apology" for canceling the summit. Abhisit made the move after red-shirted anti-government protesters broke into the hotel in Pattaya, Thailand, where the ASEAN summit was being held, the state-run Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

Wen said China, which holds the group's rotating presidency, will "strive to strengthen its friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with the ASEAN and support its integration process."

Thai media reported that ASEAN leaders will meet again in Bangkok in August to sign free-trade agreements with China and India in the wake of the canceled summit, Xinhua said.

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