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FOREIGN
ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) for the first time urged the withdrawal of
US-led military forces in Iraq, and reiterated their
calls for the revival of the
Doha negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In the
Joint Communiqué released late Monday, the foreign
ministers of the regional bloc took a position on
several issues, including the security situation in
Iraq,
the Middle East and Afghanistan, as well as the
continuing efforts to denuclearize the
Korean
Peninsula.
“We
voice our deep concern over the continued instability in
Iraq, and reaffirm our support for the Iraqi government
and its efforts to ensure unity, security, stability and
prosperity in
Iraq,”
said the 15-page Joint Communiqué of the 40th Asean
Ministerial Meeting.
The
ministers also said that the “phased and calibrated”
withdrawal of the foreign forces in
Iraq
will contribute in bringing normalcy in that country.
Foreign
Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo in a late Monday press
briefing meanwhile stressed that the call for
withdrawal of forces specified no period but a mere
statement. |
