US praises ASEAN as 'place to rally' despite failure to resolve Thai-Cambodia dispute

The United States Wednesday praised Southeast Asia's main grouping as a forum to "rally and try to solve problems," despite its apparent lack of success in mediating an escalating Thai-Cambodia border dispute. A day after failing to persuade Thailand to accept regional mediation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations began back-to-back meetings on security issues with regional superpowers including the U.S. and China. "It is a good thing to have an organization like ASEAN under the circumstances," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo in an informal chat before the talks. "I think it has become really a place where people can rally and try to solve problems. Sometimes institutions roll as they are having to respond to circumstances, but I think you are doing a good job," she... [read full story]