S.E. Asian group rejects Soviet call for parley

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formally rejected Soviet appeals for a regional conference on Cambodia, urging both Moscow and Hanoi to attend a full international meeting on the issue, Philippines Foreign Minister Carlos Romulo said. He told reporters after a meeting of the ASEAN Standing Committee that the five-nation body would also refuse to recognize the validity of any elections in Cambodia while Vietnamese forces remained there.

ASEAN, which links the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, seeks the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops from Cambodia and an international conference to find a political soluti on there.