ASEAN's top diplomats meet in shadow of US-Iran conflict

By Karen Lema

MANILA, July 21 (Reuters) – Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are likely to cast a shadow over a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia this week, injecting additional uncertainty into a region grappling with maritime tensions with China and a faltering regional effort to end Myanmar’s civil war.

Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their major partners will gather in Manila against a backdrop of instability beyond the region since the U.S. and Iran resumed open conflict, raising concerns about the flow of energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as inflation and global growth.

The Middle East crisis is expected to feature prominently in discussions, said Dominic Xavier Imperial, a spokesperson for the Philippines, the host.

“We’re looking at several occasions where they can raise this very, very critical topic,” he said.

But Southeast Asia’s top diplomats, meeting in Manila, face no shortage of challenges closer to home.

Myanmar’s conflict and tensions in the South China Sea, for which ASEAN and China are still trying to conclude a code of conduct, are expected to be key discussion points among ASEAN foreign ministers.

U.S.-CHINA MEETING POTENTIAL

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will join in the days ahead and could meet on the sidelines.

Also set to attend the ASEAN-led meetings are India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Britain and the European Union, among others.

Myanmar’s conflict is also expected to feature prominently as ASEAN’s peace initiative struggles to gain traction, five years after it was launched in the wake of a military coup that plunged the country into a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.

ASEAN foreign ministers will between them hold an informal consultation on Myanmar on July 22, Imperial said.

(Reporting by Karen Lema; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)