On the subject of Cambodia's ASEAN membership, which was put off a year ago after Co-Premier Hun Sen executed a putsch against his partner, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, there seemed unanimous agreement: Membership would be granted by the end of the year.
"The United States will also be engaging with the Trans Pacific Partnership countries with the goal of shaping a regional agreement that will have broad-based membership and the high standards worthy of a 21st century trade agreement, " Mr. Obama said.
If someone fears that the Romanised version of his name has been flagged, he can choose a new (but linguistically correct) transliteration, and then establish that spelling gradually by using it on low-level documents such as a gym membership card or a lease agreement.
Serbia has made some progress towards EU membership, signing a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels in May 2008, and with full implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement with the EU in February 2010, but a decision on candidate status has been postponed to 2012.
Better infrastructure and education in the more urbanised north mean that the benefits of Mexico's membership of the North American Free-Trade Agreement have accrued there, while income in the south stagnates because of low productivity.
EU, though, unlike Bulgaria, neither country has an association agreement with it that is supposed to precede eventual membership.
The second issue on which there appears to be wide agreement is that Germany opposes the type of renegotiation of membership terms or competencies that UK Prime Minister David Cameron has talked about.
Britain's membership of the European Union is a divisive issue, but many Conservative and Labour ministers are in agreement that the UK should remain within it.
On nuclear power and Turkish membership of the EU, Ms Merkel's new government is closer to French positions, although even here agreement may be elusive.
应用推荐