King, Crown Prince congratulate South Africa's president on Freedom Day    Council of senior scholars: Hajj permit mandatory under Shariah law    Food poisoning cases rise to 35 in Riyadh restaurant incident    Honduras exempts Saudis from visa requirements    WEF convenes special meeting on global collaboration, growth and energy for development 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders to gather in Riyadh    Saudi House opens in Riyadh to showcase Kingdom's Vision 2030 innovations    Saudi Drug enforcement contributes to thwarting 47 kilograms of cocaine smuggling in Spain    Al Hilal triumphs over Al Fateh in a fierce 3-1 clash at Kingdom Arena    Al Shabab overpowers Al Ittihad with a 3-1 victory in Jeddah    Saudi Olympic team exits U-23 Cup in quarterfinals, loses Paris 2024 Olympics dream    Egyptian delegation arrives in Israel to revive deadlocked ceasefire and hostage talks    Supreme Court appears ready to reject Trump's immunity claims    TGA introduces uniform for bus drivers    Ministry uncovers misuse of mosque utilities during inspection    Saudi Arabia supports UNRWA's efforts for Palestinian refugees, urges donor commitment    'Zarqa Al Yamama': Riyadh premieres first Saudi opera    Riyadh Season announces first overseas event with boxing gala in Los Angeles    Australian police launch manhunt for Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger    Spice Girls reunite at Posh's 50th birthday    Aspiring fencer Josh Brayden aims for Olympic glory    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



ASEAN moves towards South China Sea consensus, minister says
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 19 - 07 - 2012


Indonesia's foreign minister indicated Thursday
that the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was moving
towards a consensus on the South China Sea territorial dispute, dpa reported.
Speaking at Phnom Penh International Airport, Marty Natalegawa
said talks with Cambodia, chair of the 10-member bloc, had been
"very, very constructive."
"Essentially, the past 36 hours have been an effort to find the
most basic and yet fundamental of principles of ASEAN on the South
China Sea," he said. "I believe we have essentially a consensus, but
it will be confirmed by tomorrow morning."
Natalegawa was touring the region after ASEAN failed to agree a
joint position at the end of an annual ministerial meeting held in
Phnom Penh last week.
It was the first time in ASEAN's 45-year history that it did not
issue a joint statement at the end of its meetings. Diplomats blamed
the failure on disagreements over handling South China Sea disputes.
Beijing claims nearly all of the sea, which holds key shipping
lanes and is believed to be rich in oil and gas deposits. ASEAN
members Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei have competing
claims, as does Taiwan.
"We had a very good discussion last week. We all learnt from it.
We are wiser as a result. But now we are moving forward," said
Natalegawa.
He added that a statement expected to be issued by the bloc chair
tomorrow would "convey to the world that ASEAN is back in business
and is actually strongly united under our chair."
ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.


Clic here to read the story from its source.