THAI PRIME MINISTER VISITS ASEAN SECRETARIAT IN JAKARTA

Jakarta, Feb 21 (ANTARA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called at the ASEAN Secretariat here on Saturday morning in the sidelines of his two-day working visit to Indonesia from Friday to Saturday.
Arriving at the ASEAN Secretariat at 10 a.m. local time, the Thai prime minister was warmly greeted by ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan, a fellow Thai national.
Pitsuwan said on the occasion, Vejjajiva was the third Thai prime minister to visit the ASEAN Secretariat.
"Abhisit is the third Thai prime minister to visit the ASEAN Secretariat after Chuan Leekpai in April 1993 and Thaksin Shinawatra in January 2002," he said.
Pitsuwan said Vejjjajiva's visit happened one week after he (Pitsuwan) hosted a meeting between Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and ASEAN directors general at the secretariat.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Pitsuwan said he was happy to receive Prime Minister Abhisit at his office.
"My staffers and I feel happy about this wonderful opportunity to greet and welcome Prime Minister Abhisit at our office here," said Pitsuwan, a former Thai foreign minister.
He said Thailand's leadership in ASEAN this year had great and straegic meaning. "Thailand is leading ASEAN in a challenging time hen the world is facing a global fiancial crisis, and I am now waiting for Thailand to provide the strongest possible leadership to respond to these challenges and other regional and global issues," he said.
Thailand would lead ASEAN until December 2009, and in this capacuty host the 14th ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin from February 27-March 1, 2009.
The summit was originally to be held in Thailand in December 2008 but because of political turmoil in the country at the time, the Thai government postponed it the end of February this year.