THE Prime Minister, General Soe Win, is leading Myanmar’s delegation to the 11th annual ASEAN summit and the historic inaugural East Asia summit in Kuala Lumpur this week, the government announced on December 7.

General Soe Win’s round of engagements in the Malaysian capital began with a working dinner with other leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on December 11.

The half-day ASEAN summit on December 12 will be chaired by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Mr Abdullah Ahmed Badawi, whose country holds the rotating chairmanship of the regional grouping.

The summit is expected to adopt a declaration on drafting of ASEAN Charter.
As well as the ASEAN summit, General Soe Win will attend a summit the same day of ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea, the grouping’s three dialogue partners under its plus three arrangement, the government announcement said.

It said General Soe Win will also attend separate meetings between ASEAN leaders and its plus three partners, as well as its other dialogue partners – India, Australia, New Zealand and Russia – on December 12 and 13.

The announcement said General Soe Win will also participate in the East Asia summit on December 14. It will bring together the leaders of ASEAN and all of its dialogue partners, except Russia.

General Soe Win joined his counterparts from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos on December 11, for a three-hour summit of the four newer members of ASEAN.

The first summit of the so-called CLMV countries was held during the ASEAN summit last year in the Laotian capital, Vientiane.

The Malaysian Foreign Minister, Mr Syed Hamid Albar, was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times on December 6 that the heads of state or government of all 17 countries had confirmed their attendance in Kuala Lumpur.

Meanwhile, Malaysia said last week the inaugural East Asian summit will be a broad-ranging strategic grouping which could tackle issues including international terrorism.

“ASEAN... believes that it should be in the driver’s seat in that the East Asia Summit will be open and outward looking,” the Malaysian foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by AFP.

Malaysia outlined an ambitious agenda for the inaugural meeting.
“The East Asia summit will be a forum for dialogue on broad, strategic issues of relevance to East Asia as well as other regional and global issues,” it said.
”Discussions could focus on regional and international issues of common interest and concern such as international terrorism, energy, infectious diseases, sustainable development, poverty reduction and others.”

ASEAN officials also confirmed the criteria for membership to the summit, which has been a vexed issue in the run-up to the event.

The three elements are that applying nations: be a full dialogue partner of ASEAN; have signed up to a “Treaty of Amity and Cooperation” and have substantive relations with ASEAN.