N. Korea, Thai-Cambodia flare-up dominate Asian security talks

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday called for a peaceful resolution to a dangerous border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia as Asia's main security talks were held here.

Foreign ministers from the region and key world powers gathered in Singapore for the Asean Regional Forum after an unprecedented meeting here on Wednesday between Dr Rice and her North Korean counterpart.

Dr Rice said the deployment of hundreds of troops on either side of the border was an issue of concern.

'It is something that has been a subject of discussion. We are concerned about it and there needs to be a way to resolve it peacefully', she told reporters ahead of the forum.

'We'll continue to consult with the regional states... We're going to be guided very heavily by the views of the countries in this region'.

More than 500 Thai troops and at least 1,000 Cambodian soldiers are facing off over a small patch of land near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple, in one of the most dangerous flare-ups of regional tensions in decades.

The dispute is expected to be discussed later Thursday at the UN Security Council after Cambodia called for the world body to help resolve the issue.

Thailand has resisted outside mediation and crisis talks earlier this week among the 10-member Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) failed to break the deadlock.

Dr Rice meets North Korean counterpart
The highlight of this week's diplomatic jamboree was an unprecedented meeting on Wednesday of foreign ministers of the six nations negotiating North Korea's denuclearisation.

In what was also their first ever meeting, Dr Rice pressed North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun to take new steps on denuclearisation but hailed the 'good spirit' at the talks.

Dr Rice shook hands twice with her 'axis of evil' counterpart Pak, saying the negotiating partners 'believe we've made progress' but urging Pyongyang to agree to a verification protocol on disarmament.

Foreign ministers from their six-party counterparts China, South Korea, Russia and Japan were also present at the informal meeting, the highest-level gathering of the group since the nuclear dialogue began in 2003.

'I don't think the North Koreans left with any illusions about the fact that the ball is in their court, and that everybody believes that they have got to respond and respond positively on verification', Dr Rice said on Thursday.

North Korea staged its first nuclear test in 2006 but in February the following year the hermit state agreed to drop its weapons programme in exchange for massive energy aid.

Asean responds to talks, signs non-aggression treaty with North Korea
In a draft statement obtained by AFP, the Asean Regional Forum welcomed the talks and expressed hope recent progress would speed the process to its third stage, in which North Korea will abandon its nuclear weapons and programmes.

'In this regard, the ministers emphasised the importance of the early establishment of an effective verification mechanism', they said.

On Thursday, North Korea signed a South-east Asian non-aggression pact, becoming the 15th nation outside the region to adopt its principles.

North Korea's Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun put his signature on the document alongside those of his 10 counterparts from Asean.

Region-wide disaster preparedness proposal
Disaster response was another major focus of the meeting after twin disasters in May - Cyclone Nargis which struck Myanmar, and the earthquake in south-west China - that left a total of more than 200,000 people dead or missing.

Asean was criticised for failing to pressure military-run Myanmar to open its borders to foreign relief workers in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but won over many of its critics by eventually leading a joint international aid effort.

According to the draft statement, the Asean Regional Forum endorsed a US proposal for a region-wide disaster preparedness exercise aimed at ensuring a better response to the next calamity. -- AFP