Disasters to top summit agenda

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Amid increasing natural calamities in the region, relief issues to get priority in discussions by leaders – Relief measures for floods and other natural disasters will be a top agenda item for the sixth East Asia Summit (EAS) in Bali in mid-November.

Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said flood relief would be put near the top of the agenda by Asean leaders and its eight EAS partners as many countries in Southeast Asia are facing severe inundation.

Asean countries are facing more and more natural disasters, necessitating measures such as emergency funds and warning systems. Such measures would alleviate not only damage to each affected country’s economy but also regional impacts.

Surin said the leaders of Asean countries would discuss how to recover their economic growth and prevent future natural disasters for the good of the whole region.

Also on the agenda for the summit will be how the region and its trading partners will cope with the global slowdown in economic growth while Asia continues to show the strongest growth of any region.

This EAS will be the first to host US President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to attend the meeting on…

Full story from The Nation at http://goo.gl/obGE7