INDONESIA: PRESIDENT SUHARTO OPENS ASEAN 96 CONFERENCE скачать в хорошем качестве

INDONESIA: PRESIDENT SUHARTO OPENS ASEAN 96 CONFERENCE

(20 Jul 1996) English/Nat Indonesia's President Suharto officially opened the 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ministerial meeting in Jakarta Saturday. One of the main highlights of the conference is the observer status given to Burma. Despite calls for sanctions on Burma by many countries, ASEAN refuses to pressure the military regime, calling the standoff with Suu Kyi an internal affair. Despite being plagued by health problems recently and his subsequent trip to Germany, President Suharto looked fragile but healthy as he greeted the delegates. Foreign Ministers gathered to pay their respects to their host, President Suharto, at the Presidential Palace in his first major public appearance since rushing to Germany for medical examination. In a ceremony with music and pomp, President Suharto officially opened the ASEAN meeting by striking a gong. Once the meeting was declared open, the delegates moved to the convention center. Security was tight as hundreds of policemen swarmed over the area before the delegates arrived. Once inside, the delegates began talks on issues of mutual interest. One of the major issues of this meeting is the granting of observer status to Burma despite its human rights record. Speaking at the conference, the Burmese Foreign Minister stressed Burma's need to be included in the group. SOUNDBITE: "Burma is of the view that our shared destiny of peace, progress and prosperity of this region can be achieved through further deepening of closer political and socioeconomic ties." SUPER CAPTION: Ojn Ghaw, Union of Myanmar (Burma) Foreign Minister At the two-day conference ASEAN will also adopt new membership standards. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...