Asian and European Leaders Converge on Hanoi for Broad-Agenda ASEM Summit

Heads of government from across Asia and Europe are meeting in Hanoi this week for the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the first to include the 10 nations that joined the EU in May along with Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. Notable attendees include Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, French President Jacques Chirac, and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Security concerns in Iraq, nuclear tensions on the Korean peninsula, and the political status of Myanmar rank among the chief topics on the two-day agenda. Myanmar's inclusion proved contentious: the EU agreed to participate only after the Rangoon regime accepted a lower-level delegation, while Brussels also threatened tighter sanctions unless democratic reforms advance. Economic cooperation, energy, and cultural diversity round out the schedule.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.