Asean mulls referring Myanmar to UN

Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar of Malaysia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has said the bloc is stepping back after its efforts to mediate were snubbed.

Asean secretary general Ong Keng Yong said Monday, as the group's foreign ministers arrived in Kuala Lumpur for their annual talks, that the issue of handing over to the United Nations would be discussed here.

"We have not made a decision. The foreign ministers will discuss it and decide what to do," he told reporters.

Ong signalled the grouping's frustration over being constantly overshadowed by its reclusive member, saying that the Myanmar issue was proving too much of a burden.

"In the first place it is not an Asean problem to the extent that all other Asean agenda items are neglected," he said.

"We have 95 percent of other issues to deal with but the rest of you are not interested in the 95 percent of what we are doing."

Meanwhile, leaders of key Muslim countries may be called for an "immediate" meeting to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said yesterday.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) will not call an emergency gathering of all 57 members despite a request by Iran's president but may instead hold an "executive committee meeting", Syed Hamid said.