Bangkok: Thailand today named new dates for a delayed summit of Southeast Asian nations but said arrangements for meetings with heavyweight partners including China and Japan would be made separately.

The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to meet in Bangkok on February 27, 28 and March 1, said Virasakdi Futrakul, permanent secretary of the foreign ministry.

The summit was originally due to take place in December but has been repeatedly rescheduled, once after Bangkok s airports were blockaded by protesters opposed to the previous government.

"To organise an ASEAN summit shows that Thailand has returned to normalcy," Virasakdi said.

But meetings with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand - which were meant to occur simultaneously with the summit - will now be held at another time, he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will tomorrow set dates for meetings with the so-called "dialogue partners", after many had problems coordinating the timing, Virasakdi added.

"Late January it's Chinese new year, in February Japan and Singapore are busy with the budget, in March the Chinese leader is busy with a congress meeting," he said.

South-east Asia analyst Michael Montesano said the absence of major powers would weaken the summit.

"But it would be a mistake to rush and blame Thailand for this because if the major powers really saw importance in attending the summit they would find a way to do so," said Montesano, of the National University of Singapore.

Thailand has repeatedly changed the summit's venue and date since it was originally scheduled for mid-December in Bangkok.
Source : PTI