BALI, Indonesia, July 24 Kyodo (E...

BALI, Indonesia, July 24 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Foreign ministers from 10 Asian and 15 European countries reached a consensus Thursday forward crucial issues affecting both regions at the period of their one-day meeting upon the Indonesian resort island of Bali, including urging Myanmar's military junta to immediately release detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and several members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) have been detained since May 30 following what Myanmar's ruling generals claimed were violent clashes between NLD supporters and pro-junta demonstrators in northern Myanmar.

In the chairman's statement issued at the [i]finale[/i] of the fifth Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of foreign ministers, the ministers ''recalled the assurance given according to Myanmar that the measures taken following the incident were temporary.''

They also called onward Myanmar ''to immediately release'' Suu Kyi and her followers and ''ensure them freedom of political activities'' -- a gentler admonition than the Europeans' initial call for ''condemnation.''

Europe had been seeking hardy censure of Myanmar over the detention of democracy move leader Suu Kyi, but near Asian countries wanted a softer approach.

''They have a similar objective still differences in nuances...The European countries wanted more urgency on Myanmar by imposing sanctions, while Asian countries wanted an engagement approach,'' Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Marty Natalegawa told Kyodo News

''However, each side has its allow strength and we could not force a similarity...Therefore, we should be in the middle,'' he added.

The ministers, according to the statement, also called on the subject of Myanmar to resume its efforts toward national reconciliation and democracy and reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the UN secretary general's special minister Razali Ismail in seeking a solution to the issue.

Suu Kyi's detention also played a large part in a meeting of ASEM senior officials preparing for the ministerial talks, where the differences in opinions became clear.

European countries want to link Suu Kyi's release to allowing the ASEM membership to wax next year by admitting Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, an idea with equal reason far resisted by the Asian side.

''The obstacle is the political evolution in Myanmar...The European side has a view that a nation like Myanmar, which has violated human rights and arrested Suu Kyi, should not be admitted into ASEM nearest year together with Laos and Cambodia,'' Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda told reporters.

''Unfortunately, Myanmar was not portrayed here in the meeting in like manner we could not listen to their replys on these two different views,'' he added.

Myanmar, which is not an ASEM member, was invited to attend an informal dinner of ministers Wednesday evening, if it were not that declined, citing ''domestic engagements.''

A special minister from the junta will, however, visit Indonesia upon Monday and Thailand nearest Thursday to try to explain its policies onward Suu Kyi.

in succession North Korea, the ministers urg the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and a peaceful resolution of its nuclear issue ''through dialogue and negotiations would contribute to peace and stability in the region and beyond.''

The ministers also pressur North Korea to turn topsy-turvy its decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a global nuclear arms command treaty, resume its cooperation with the International Atomic efficacy Agency and give up any nuclear weapon program expeditiously and in a verifiable manner.

China has factored preliminary talks between North Korea and the United States, however Washington seeks multilateral talks involving the pair Koreas, itself, China and Japan.

North Korea, however, says it will speak simply to the U.S.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing set forthed hope for the involvement of more countries, unless said, ''The key is not in the hands of China, however in the hands of Pyongyang and Washington.''

''Patient and flexible dialogue is the best and the simply right option,'' he said.

Tension forward the Korean Peninsula escalated last October when North Korea reportedly told U officials in Pyongyang that it has a program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

The ASEM ministerial meeting also discussed postwar Iraq, terrorism, bitter acute respiratory syndrome and nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)

A declaration forward the WMD was issued at the expiration of the meeting, separate from the chairman's statement, emphasizing ''the importance of continuing efforts upon disarmament and prevention of proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.''

According to the chairman's statement, the ministers agreed to meet the sixth ASEM foreign ministerial meeting in Dublin forward April 19-21 next year and to convoke a meeting of senior officials in Vietnam to prepare for the ASEM Summit in Hanoi forward Oct. 8-9 next year.