U.S. foreign policy under fire from council

AWAJI ISLAND, Hyogo Pref. -- Concerns over China, the East Asian region and U.S. attempts to act unilaterally were the focus of talks here Monday at the 19th plenary session of the the InterAction Council.

The council, which consists of 37 former heads of state and government, expressed fears over recent moves by the United States to break away from a "one-China policy."

Many council members expressed a preference for the "one country, two systems" approach that China has adopted regarding Hong Kong and Macau.

Council members also welcomed and encouraged efforts by South Korea to continue its diplomatic engagement with North Korea -- a position that's a direct rebuttal of recent statements by the U.S. expressing doubt about the effectiveness of engaging North Korea.

As was the case Sunday -- the opening day of the conference -- the foreign policy approach of U.S. President George W. Bush came under intense fire.

Council members called on the president to make clearer his foreign policy goals, and to steer the U.S. away from unilateral agreements.