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Philippines Postpones Asian Summits Over Weather Fears
CEBU, Philippines, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - Host
nation Philippines said Friday that upcoming ASEAN and East Asia
Summits on the island of Cebu have been postponed until January over
worries about an incoming storm. The decision was announced just a
day after Britain, the United States, Australia and other nations
warned against travel to Cebu over worries of a possible terror
attack at the summits, which start Sunday. Officials insisted the
reason for the postponement was a tropical storm bearing down on
Cebu with wind speeds on Friday afternoon of more than 100
kilometres per hour, according to the Hong Kong Observatory website.
"The decision was based on this weather disturbance and on this
disturbance only," said Marciano Paynor, who heads the national
committee that organised the summits. Paynor said ministerial
meetings were expected to go ahead but the leaders' meetings of both
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the wider
East Asian Summit would be postponed. bur/mc/km
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