AM, Thailand, October 25, SPA-- Leaders of 16 Asian countries met Sunday in Thailand for talks on economic cooperation, disaster management and climate change, AP reported. The East Asia Summit followed Saturday meetings of leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations with heads of government from China, Japan and South Korea. Sunday"s expanded talks brought in Australia, New Zealand and India. The 16 leaders represent almost half the world"s population and more than a third of the global GDP, according to Australia"s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Sunday"s expanded summit was a closed-door affair, and an official account of the proceedings was not immediately available. Japanese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kazuo Kodama told reporters that leaders were expected to raise concerns over developments in North Korea and Myanmar at a working lunch. He said Japan was interested not only in North Korea"s denuclearization, but also what ASEAN has called «humanitarian concerns,» which Kodama said referred to a series of abductions carried out over many years by Pyongyang"s communist government, largely of Japanese citizens. Leaders were also discussing broader global issues, including climate change and the international financial and economic situation, said Kodama.
