SINGAPORE: Security is tight in Singapore as the ASEAN foreign ministers begin a four-day meeting
- 00:00:58
- ITN Source
SINGAPORE: Security is tight in Singapore as the ASEAN foreign ministers begin a four-day meeting
Security is tight in Singapore as the ASEAN foreign ministers begin a four-day meeting. Southeast Asian foreign ministers received a charter on Monday (November 19) that will give the 40-year-old grouping legal status that also spells out lofty goals for democracy and human rights ahead of a leaders summit amidst tight security in Singapore. The leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) , that groups 10 countries, will sign the charter on Tuesday (November 20). Security is tight around the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore where the meeting is being held until Thursday (November 22). Armed Gurkhas and policemen have cordoned off the area and have imposed strict checks to prevent any incidents. The foreign ministers met in comfort as host Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo welcomed counterparts from the nine other members - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam - for the meeting. The leaders are also expected to sign a charter next week in a step towards economic integration by 2015, face challenges such as opening up strategic sectors to foreign competition, developing consumer-led economies and the regulation of their financial markets. The 10 ASEAN countries have a combined economy of $1 trillion, slightly bigger than India's, but officials said production was often driven by multinational firms, many of which were moving manufacturing operations to China. ASEAN aims to create a single market and production base with free flow of goods, services and investment, and freer movement of labor and capital, starting by eliminating trade barriers within a few years.
ITN Source | November 19, 2007
