Foreign ministers from The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea Wednesday expressed their welcome to the recent resumption of the six-party talks in Beijing.

In a Chairman's statement at the end of the Sixth ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers Meeting, held here on July 27, in Vientiane, Laos, the ministers hoped that the concerned parties would find solutions acceptable to all sides toward a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula on the basis of the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty and equality for the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the wider Asia Pacific region.

They also welcomed the recent resumption of the inter-Korean dialogue and the thaw in the inter-Korean relations, which will be a major step towards achieving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministers expressed their concern over the continued violence in Iraq and condemned the recent increase in terrorist attacks, including the attacks in London and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

They welcomed the recent positive developments in the Middle East and recognized the need to carry out the implementation of the Roadmap and the relevant UN Resolutions so as to realize the vision of Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders.

The ministers reiterated their support for the UN reform and agreed that the reform should be comprehensive and consider the needs of the developing countries. They attached importance to effective leadership of the United Nations to address the needs and aspirations of all people, particularly those in the developing world.

The ministers are of the view that it would be the turn of the Asian region to occupy the post of the UN Secretary-General which will become vacant upon expiry of the term of the current Secretary-General at the end of 2006. The ASEAN foreign ministers informed China, Japan and South Korea of ASEAN's strong support for its candidate from Thailand, Surakiart Sathirathai, for this post.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to the ASEAN+3 process and its continued relevance to the development of the East Asian region. The ministers noted with satisfaction the progress achieved in ASEAN+3 cooperation over the past 8 years.

The Ministers exchanged views on the modalities of the participation in the East Asia Summit (EAS). Apart from ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, the first EAS will participated by Australia, India, and New Zealand.

The statement disclosed that the Ninth ASEAN+3 Summit and the First East Asia Summit will be held on Dec. 12, 2005 and Dec. 14 2005 respectively in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Source: Xinhua