VIETNAM has confirmed that a summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) forum will go ahead as planned in Hanoi later this year, despite a row over a plan to expand the 25-member grouping.

An official involved in organising the summit, Mr Nguyen Hong Cuong, told a news conference in Hanoi on August 13 that most ASEM members had confirmed their attendance at the two-day summit, which begins on October 8.

The state-run Vietnam News Agency also reported that Mr Cuong had unveiled a plan aimed at accelerating negotiations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union on an expanded ASEM.

The news agency did not give details of the plan.

ASEM was formed in 1996 by the seven older members of Association Southeast Asian Nations – excluding Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos – as well as Japan, South Korea and China and the then 15 members of the EU.

ASEAN insists that in return for approving the admission of the EU’s 10 new members to ASEM, the EU should allow Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia to join the grouping.

The EU, led by Britain, has refused to approve Myanmar’s entry to ASEM.

The EU’s special envoy, Mr Hans van den Broek, said in late July after travelling to Vietnam, Thailand, China and Japan to discuss the membership issue that he was optimistic it would be resolved.

Mr Cuong told the news conference that the biannual summit will focus on boosting economic cooperation between Asia and Europe as well as cooperation in combating international terrorism.