South-East Asian nations held talks in Cambodia on Thursday, with the Myanmar junta's representative barred from attending.
There are divisions among Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries over how to restore stability in Myanmar after a military coup on February 1 last year.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had sought to re-engage the junta, but amid friction over the approach, Asean excluded Myanmar's military-appointed foreign minister from this week's meeting, which was postponed from January.
“No doubt we might have different views occasionally on some issues but what family doesn’t have them?” Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said in Phnom Penh.
Several Asean ministers were due to attend online after a surge in coronavirus cases in the region.
Mr Sokhonn expressed regret that not all the ministers had been able to attend.
Vietnam's Foreign Minister, Bui Thanh Son, tested positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Phnom Penh and would join the meeting online, Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Chum Sounry said.
Cambodia currently chairs the 10-member association, which last year unexpectedly blocked Myanmar's military government from joining key meetings over a failure to honour its peace plan.
Cambodia's prime minister on Wednesday defended his decision to visit Myanmar for talks last month and said that, without a breakthrough, peace in the conflict-hit nation may not be achieved in the next five or 10 years.
Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia have urged Cambodia not to invite Myanmar's generals until they deliver on a commitment made last year to end hostilities and allow Asean to manage a peace process.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the lack of progress in implementing the peace plan was “disappointing".
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew an elected government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi last year.
More than 1,500 civilians have been killed in the junta's repression of its opponents, according to a Thai activist group. The regime blames the violence on “terrorists".
Asean has not formally recognised the military government, which has had sanctions imposed on it by the US, UK and EU, among others.
Myanmar's leaders said they regretted the decision to exclude its representative, which it said contradicted the bloc's principle of equal representation.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
