KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Ten Southeast Asian heads of state and nine world leaders, including President Barack Obama, are meeting in Malaysia to discuss trade and economic issues. Terrorism and disputes over the South China Sea are also on the agenda. (All times local):
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9:50 a.m.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has opened a two-day regional summit with a call to defeat Islamic terrorism, saying its barbaric attacks do not represent any race or religion.
Najib was speaking Saturday at the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a regional grouping of 10 nations that include the Muslim-majority nations of Malaysia and Indonesia. Indonesia, and the neighboring Philippines, which has a large Muslim minority, have been hit by Islamic extremism.
Najib referred to those two countries, as well as the attacks in Paris and Friday’s deadly hostage-taking in Bamako, Mali.
Najib says Malaysia stands ready to provide any help and support it can.
He says: “Be assured that we stand with you against this new evil that blasphemes against the name of Islam.”
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9:35 a.m.
Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia has described Islamic State group as “evil” and a perverted form of Islam, as he and President Barack Obama pledged to fight Islamic extremism.
After a meeting with Obama late Friday, Najib said his government is very clear that it is against the IS, “its ideology, what it stands for.”
He says “it is evil. It is against Islam. It is a perverted Islam. And they do not represent us.”
Najib says Malaysia and the United States will work together and with other like-minded countries to make Southeast Asia safer.
Obama is in Malaysia to attend a regional summit that ends Sunday.
In his remarks, Obama said Malaysia, like Indonesia, is a majority-Muslim country that represents tolerance and peace. Obama said that as a consequence, “its voice is critical in the debate that is taking place internationally around terrorism.”
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9 a.m.
Heads of state from 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have formally opened their weekend summit in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
The main event is the launch of a unified economic community that has been eight years in the making.
On Sunday, the leaders of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines, along with ASEAN’s four less developed members, Communist Vietnam and Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia, will sign a declaration establishing the ASEAN Economic Community, originally envisioned in 2002.
Although ASEAN has helped greatly increase the region’s economic and political integration, there is a long way to go before the AEC becomes fully functional after becoming a legal entity on Dec. 31.
ASEAN countries have torn down tariff barriers and have removed some visa restrictions, but they fall short in more politically sensitive areas such as opening up agriculture, steel, auto production and other protected sectors.
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