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On 12 May 2005, Dr. Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Thailand, attended the Private Sector
Summit on Post-Tsunami Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Washington, D.C. The
objectives of the conference is to mobilize the assistance of the private sector
in the US to assist countries affected by the Tsunami as they proceed in their
rehabilitation and reconstruction effort. In his remarks, Dr. Kantathi expressed
his appreciation to the US Government for the relief assistance provided in a
timely manner after the disaster struck and also noted the partnership between
Thailand and the US in extending assistance to other affected countries. He
emphasized the importance the Thai Government placed on restoring confidence of
both the local people and the foreign tourists. He expressed the view that a
vital component of restoring confidence was the establishment of a network of
regional early warning system for Tsunami and other natural disasters. He also
look forward to working along with the US private sector in various
rehabilitation projects for the affected areas in Thailand and restore the
livelihood of the people in the areas hit by the disaster.
Later, Foreign Minster Dr. Kantathi spoke at the National Press Club in Washington,D.C. He highlighted Thailand’s active role in enhancing relationship and cooperation with neighboring countries and in forging partnership at the regional and global levels. During the question and answer session, he addressed questions related to the situation in Myanmar, Thailand’s views on the UN reforms, Thailand’s rehabilitation effort in the aftermath of the Tsunami disaster and the situation in the south of Thailand. On the same day, Dr Kantathi paid courtesy calls and held separate bilateral talks with senior members of the US administration, namely, Mr. Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor, and Ambassador John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence. |
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