The Hindu : Business : India-ASEAN summit postponed

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Saturday, Dec 06, 2008
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India-ASEAN summit postponed

Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI: The much-awaited summit between India and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been postponed due to the political crisis in the host-nation Thailand. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to visit Thailand from December 17 to take part in the summit where the main agenda was the signing of the ambitious India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement , which will now have to wait till next year.

Government sources here said the India-ASEAN summit has been postponed indefinitely after news came that Thailand’s constitutional court has dissolved the country’s ruling party and barred Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from politics for five years. The summit was initially scheduled to be held in Thailand’s capital Bangkok but was later shifted to tourism destination Chiang Mai.

Confirming the news to The Hindu, Minister of State for Commerce and Power Jairam Ramesh said the signing of the India-ASEAN FTA would have to wait for a few more weeks due to the postponing of the summit. “It is an opportunity for India to take pro-active measures to strengthen its position vis-À-vis trade of sensitive items, including commodities like tea, coffee and pepper where ASEAN nations, particularly Vietnam, have an edge over India,” he said.

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