The 7th summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (
ASEAN)
began Monday morning in Bandar seri Begawan.
This is the first working summit for ASEAN leaders since they
agreed in Singapore last year to remove the distinction between
formal and informal summits in favor of ceremonial gatherings.
At
the Brunei summit, the ASEAN leaders are expected to address
immediate concerns to Southeast Asia such as the twin challenges
posed by the global economic downturn and the international fight
against terrorism, meeting officials said.
The leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of topics such as
responding to longer term challenges, accelerating regional
integration and bridging the development gap, considering moving
beyond free-trade commitments with far-reaching cooperation in many
areas.
The leaders are also scheduled to decide on new priorities for the
Hanoi Plan of Action adopted in 1998, a six-year roadmap outlining
a vision for ASEAN, which is subject to a mid-term review this
year.
The ASEAN summit will be followed by the 5th leadership meeting of
ASEAN plus three (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) and the
meetings between leaders of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic
of Korea, respectively.
Leaders of ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea are
expected to discuss the global economic downturn and closer East
Asian partnership.
The first "ASEAN plus three" leadership meeting was held in 1997
followed by separate "ASEAN plus one" meetings with the leaders of
China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Founded in 1967, ASEAN now
groups all 10 southeast Asian nations -- Brunei, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
( November 5,2001)