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MANILA, Philippines?The secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations welcomed Tuesday Thailand?s decision to postpone the 14th Asean Summit until March.
"This was not an easy decision to make and I thank Thailand for weighing carefully all the factors before deciding to postpone the Summit,? Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement e-mailed to media outfits.
?I appreciate very much the consideration Thailand has given to the Asean member states? concerns,? he said.
The Thai government announced Tuesday the summit could not go ahead as planned December 12-17, citing the political turmoil in the country.
Surin said he would explore ?ways and means of minimizing the adverse impact on the works of Asean.?
?Some initiatives and projects in the pipeline by certain ministerial bodies will be given due consideration to proceed without having to wait for the summit. In this connection, I am looking forward to consulting with Asean foreign ministers in the coming days,? he said.
