Special report: Earthquake in Indonesia

    PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Delegates and guests attending the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM-CoB) on Monday expressed their condolences on the death of earthquake victims in Indonesia.

    Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the request to all participants before delivering his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the NAM Coordinating Bureau (NAM-CoB) Ministerial Meeting in the administrative center of Putrajaya.

    Badawi offered his condolences in accordance with the Muslim religious practices and non-Muslim delegates observed a moment of silence for those people who lost their lives in the devastating quake.

    Earlier, South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad, representing the chairman of the Group of 77 and China, and Vijay Nambiar, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, also expressed their sympathy in their speech at the opening ceremony.

    About 90 member countries of the NAM sent delegates for the meeting, which prepares for the 14th Conference of the Heads of States of the NAM, or the 14th NAM Summit, to be held in Havana, Cuba this September.

    Death toll in Saturday's earthquake that struck central Java areas in Indonesia has surpassed 5,000 on Monday, according to Indonesia's report. Enditem