JAKARTA, July 1 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived here Thursday to attend a forum of dialogues on political and security issues with Asian and Pacific countries.

    Powell arrived at the tightly guarded Halim Perdanakusumah Airport in East Jakarta at 13:15 local time (06:15 GMT) and was rushed directly to JW Marriott Hotel without making any statement to journalists.

    He is due to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum on Friday, a forum of dialogues established in 1994 to deal with political and security issues. Enditem