Asian ministers meet on terrorism

The meeting is taking place amid tight security

Defence ministers from across Asia and the Pacific and some key Western allies have gathered in Singapore to review regional terrorism and tension on the Korean peninsula.

The second annual Asia Security Conference comes at a time when concerns about security are at the top of the agenda for many Asian governments.

The gathering is taking place amid tight security designed to protect delegates from possible terrorist attacks and the disease Sars.

Fever-detecting thermal cameras scanned people entering the conference hotel to ensure they are not infected with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

One area the ministers are likely to focus on is North Korea, with the government in Pyongyang showing signs of increasing aggression in recent months.

But BBC correspondent David Bottomley says the issue of terrorism is likely to dominate the proceedings.

Wolfowitz: Important message of US commitment to the region

The event comes at a time when the terrorist bombings in Bali are still fresh in many people's minds.

Security agencies throughout the region are still trying to gather intelligence on Jemaah Islamiah, the militant Islamic group blamed for the attack, and also for a plot to bomb targets in Singapore.

The delegates will also have the chance to hear about America's plans to reorganise its 100,000 military personnel in the region, when US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz addresses the conference on Saturday.

Mr Wolfowitz said the US was in the process of taking a "fundamental look" at America's military posture worldwide, but he denied US media speculation that the Pentagon was considering moving troops stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa to Australia.

And he said that if there was one important message to convey on his trip to Asia, it was that the US was committed to the security and stability of the region.

"We understand how important the Asia-Pacific region is to the future of the whole world. It's particularly important to the future of our country," he told reporters.

Lee is one of Asia's elder statesmen

Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew warned the US against unilateralism in a wide-ranging keynote speech.

"If America does not cultivate its friends and allies with more tender loving care, coalitions of the willing may become smaller," he said.

Mr Lee said the region continues to face the threat of Islamic extremism, even though the Indonesian police have arrested the alleged perpetrators of the Bali bombings.

"There are several hundreds more Jemaah Islamiah operators still in the region who will regroup and in good time can execute more suicide attacks," he said.

"They will certainly try to attack soft targets in south-east Asia."

North Korea has not accepted an invitation to attend the meeting and Chinese defense officials have also stayed away. But several Chinese defense academics are participating.