Special meeting on tsunami relief efforts begins in Jakarta
6/1/2005 14:45
Leaders or their representatives of 26 countries and international
organizations are meeting in Jakarta Thursday to discuss the massive relief and
reconstruction efforts for the earthquake and tsunami hit countries.
The
one-day Special ASEAN Leaders' Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and Tsunami is
being held under the auspices of the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The massive earthquake and the
tsunamis that followed on Dec. 26, 2004, have claimed the lives of over 145,000
people in Asia and Africa.
The heads of state or government, ministers and
senior officials of international organizations observed one-minute silence for
tsunami victims before heading into discussions to tackle the aftermath of the
worst natural disaster in more than 30 years.
Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono made an opening speech in the capacity of chairman of the
meeting, calling for more help to children in the affected countries whose lives
were heavily affected in the disaster.
Country delegations led by heads of
state or government are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China,
Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, New
Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Countries represented by
ministers are India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United States, and Canada.
The
international organizations participating in the summit are the Asian
Development Bank, the European Union, the United Nations World Health
Organization, the World Bank and the United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF).
Representatives from four European countries -- Britain, Norway,
Sweden and the Netherlands -- as well as East Timor are attending the summit as
observers.
Xinhua
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