Source: Xinhua (China)
Source type: News Agency
Published on: 16 Apr 2010

JAKARTA, April 16 (Xinhua) — Indonesia has proposed that members of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) step up conservation efforts to prevent historical sites from being destroyed, local media reported here on Friday.

The proposal was raised during the 2nd Preparatory Senior Official Meeting, which concluded its three day event on Friday in Surakarta, Central Java.

The meeting, attended by 60 delegates from 20 countries, was held in preparation for the 4th ASEM Culture Minister Meeting in Poznan, Poland, in September this year.

Director General of American-European Regions at Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Retno L.P. Marsudi, said that the meeting was very important as its outcome would be developed as part of Indonesia’s foreign policy.

“We usually engage in soft diplomacy, such as cultural dialogue, ” she was quoted by the Jakarta Post online as saying.

The declaration draft formulated in the meeting would be presented in Poznan, Retno said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-04/16/c_13254980.htm