FM TO ATTEND ASEM MEETING IN HANOI ON MONDAY

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Foreign Minister Anifah Aman will attend
the Ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi,
Vietnam, starting Monday.

The two-day meeting will be preceded by the preparatory ASEM senior
officials' meeting over the weekend, a statement from Wisma Putra (Foreign
Ministry) said.

The meeting, themed "Forging a Closer Asia-Europe Partnership to Address the
Financial and Economic Crisis and Other Global Challenges," would discuss
international politics and global challenges, cooperation in economic, social
and cultural matters and the developments in Asia as well as in Europe.

Leaders would exchange views and discuss topics on international financial
and economic crisis, climate change, food security and regional and
international developments, it said.

ASEM foreign ministers are expected to endorse a chair's statement,
containing pronouncements on various issues in the political, economic and
social fields.

Anifah, who is accompanied by senior officials at the meeting, is also
scheduled to make an intervention on the topic of dialogue among cultures and
civilisations and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines
of the meeting.

The statement added that the meeting would give Malaysia the opportunity to
reiterate its position on key international issues as well as enhance its role
on matters regarding Asia-Europe cooperation.
-- BERNAMA