ASEAN foreign ministers meet under shadow of Myanmar crisis

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers are meeting in Indonesia for talks overshadowed by the deteriorating situation in military-ruled Myanmar despite an agenda focused on food and energy security and cooperation in finance and health. Myanmar belongs to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but its foreign minister was not invited to attend the meetings. His absence is a result of Myanmar’s lack of cooperation in implementing a five-step agreement with ASEAN to try to resolve the crisis, set off by the military’s seizure of power two years ago. Indonesia is the chair of ASEAN this year. Its foreign minister says the situation in Myanmar tests the regional bloc’s credibility.