Mideast, North Korea, Iran top ASEAN talks

MALAYSIA: Asia's main security forum attended by 25 top policymakers from around the world homed in on Friday on the Middle East war and the nuclear programmes of North Korea and Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, attending the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) for the first time, will hold talks on the Lebanon crisis and Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, although North Korea itself will not take part in the talks.

The unexpected arrival of Iran's foreign minister in Malaysia focused attention on the Middle East conflict but also prompted speculation Iran was ready for talks on its own nuclear plans.

However European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who is Europe's chief negotiator in the nuclear talks with Iran, was not due to meet Iran's Manouchehr Mottaki in Kuala Lumpur, an EU official said.

U.N. Security Council members agreed informally in New York on Thursday on a resolution demanding Iran suspend nuclear enrichment and reprocessing work and threatening to consider sanctions if it refuses, diplomats said.

Still the fighting in the Middle East was the biggest focus.

"We're very much concerned at the grave situation taking place in Lebanon and Gaza," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, hosting the forum, said at the opening of the meeting.

Israel called up 15,000 reserve soldiers but ruled out a full-scale invasion of Lebanon against Hizbollah guerrillas, backed by Iran and Syria, as diplomatic divisions appeared to widen on how to end the 17-day-old conflict.

At least 445 people, mostly civilians, have been confirmed killed in Lebanon, as well as 51 Israelis.

Kuala Lumpur, Friday, Reuters