Delegates attending Asia's largest security forum have issued a statement underscoring the need for a peaceful solution to the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.
The foreign ministers from Asia-Pacific nations and the European Union held their annual meeting in Jakarta Friday. Their closing statement emphasized a step-by-step process by which all sides in the nuclear standoff would match words with action.
Ministers urged the military government in Burma to lift restrictions on democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and to move the country toward democracy. They condemned terrorism in all forms, and they welcomed the reassertion of Iraqi sovereignty.
This regional forum comprises 10 Southeast Asian nations and other countries with specific interests in the region.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.