Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda says Southeast Asian leaders are open to discussing Burma's lack of pogress on democratic reforms during a meeting with President Bush later this week.
Mr. Bush is to meet seven Southeast Asian leaders in Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, Saturday on the sidlelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The seven leaders are members of a separate regional group, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN.
President Bush has urged ASEAN to put more pressure on Burma's military rulers to speed up democratic reforms and stop human rights abuses. Burma is also an ASEAN member.
ASEAN governments also have called on Burma to show "tangible progress" on democracy and release political detainees.
Wirayuda says the main focus of Saturday's meeting between ASEAN leaders and Mr. Bush will likey be economic cooperation between the two sides.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
