Manila Hosts ASEAN Meet

Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo. Manila will host on Sunday July 29, 2007 the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting. The meeting will be participated by foreign ministers from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Jul) – Filipino Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo on Saturday said the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is close to realizing its goal of achieving a single ASEAN community as Manila hosts the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.

Speaking at the closing session of the 40th ASEAN Standing Committee (ASC) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Romulo lauded the inroads achieved in the collective efforts to build a stronger and more modern ASEAN through the solid groundwork done by the ASC for the ministerial conference.

“Through your support and cooperation, ASEAN is one step closer towards full integration and transforming ASEAN into a more rules-based organization,” Romulo said.

The Philippine News Agency also said that the High Level Task Force (HLTF) on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter will present a first draft for the deliberation of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during the AMM.

The landmark document will embody the ideals and shared values of the ASEAN and identify compliance mechanisms, according to Romulo.
Security is tight during the four-day ASEAN meet which will begin Sunday and some 6,500 soldiers and policemen will be deployed to secure the delegates.

Police patrols have been going on a 24-hour basis around the PICC where the meeting would be held. Sniffing dogs will also be used extensively all throughout the conference. Since last week, traffic has been rerouted within the vicinity of the PICC complex.

The meeting will be participated by foreign ministers from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

It will be followed by the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMCs) to be attended by the ASEAN dialogue partners - Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Korea and the United States.

Seven other countries, Bangladesh, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and Timor, will join the ASEAN and dialogue partners in the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum.