INDONESIA: Thai foreign minister meets with Indonesian counterpart in the sidelines of ASEAN meeting in Jakarta

Record ID: 739328

  • Title: INDONESIA: Thai foreign minister meets with Indonesian counterpart in the sidelines of ASEAN meeting in Jakarta
  • Date: 7th May 2011
  • Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (MAY 6, 2011) (REUTERS) JOURNALISTS WAITING FOR MINISTERS THAI FOREIGN MINISTER KASIT PIROMYA ARRIVING AND BEING GREETED BY INDONESIA FOREIGN MINISTER MARTY NATALEGAWA MINISTERS SHAKING HANDS AND HEADING TO BILATERAL MEETING ROOM BILATERAL MEETING PIROMYA TALKING NATALEGAWA LISTENING THAI DELEGATES LISTENING MEETING IN PROGRESS JOURNALISTS OUTSIDE ROOM JOURNALISTS INTERVIEWING NATALEGAWA (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDONESIA FOREIGN MINISTER MARTY NATALEGAWA, SAYING: "Two sides reaffirmed that the discussion on the term of reference for the Indonesian observer team has been concluded. Actually the foreign minister of Thailand was able to confirm not only has it been concluded but actually there is agreement on the terms of reference on the observer team." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) INDONESIA FOREIGN MINISTER MARTY NATALEGAWA, SAYING: "The key word here is to create conditions conducive for the assignment of the Indonesian Observer Team." NATALEGAWA SURROUNDED BY JOURNALISTS VARIOUS OF DELEGATES ARRIVING INDONESIA FOREIGN MINISTERS MARTY NATALEGAWA SITTING NEXT TO INDONESIA CHIEF SECURITY MINISTER DJOKO SUYANTO CAMBODIA'S FOREIGN MINISTER HOR NAMHONG THAI FOREIGN MINISTER KASIT PIROMYA ARRIVING AND TAKING SEAT MEETING NAMHONG, NATALEGAWA AND SUYANTO WALKING TOWARDS STAGE VARIOUS OF MINISTERS ON STAGE LINKING HANDS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS NAMHONG SHAKING HANDS WITH PIROMYA AND ASEAN SECRETARY GENERAL SURIN PITSUWAN
  • Embargoed: 22nd May 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia, Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA6W6QZ8GXYUB3HBBLYMHPYF3O
  • Story Text: Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya met with his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa to discuss border security issues on Friday (May 6) in the sidelines of the annual Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) .
    Piromya and Natalegawa discussed ways to reduce tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border.
    Earlier, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong spoke with Natalegawa and said he wished to have Indonesian observers at the border as soon as possible.
    "Two sides reaffirmed that the discussion on the term of reference for the Indonesian observer team has been concluded. Actually the foreign minister of Thailand was able to confirm not only has it been concluded but actually there is agreement on the terms of reference on the observer team," Natalegawa told reporters.
    "The key word here is to create conditions conducive for the assignment of the Indonesian Observer Team," he added.
    Fighting between the two armies appeared to have eased after 12 days of artillery and gunfire that has killed 18 people on both sides, but there was no let-up in the diplomatic battle ahead of the ASEAN summit.
    More than 50,000 people living near the border were forced to seek safety in evacuation centres.
    The fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops over the 12th century Preah Vihear temple has turned into Southeast Asia's bloodiest border dispute in years.
    Cambodia-Thai relations is expected to be a hot topic at the two-day ASEAN leader's summit which commences on Saturday (May 7).
    Just before the start of the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC) meeting, both Namhong and Piromya shook each other's hands.
    Cambodia had earlier rejected bilateral talks with Thailand and is insisting on third-party mediation, a move that has riled Thailand and suggests to some analysts that Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen's government is in no rush to find a solution.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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