ASEAN ECONOMIC MINISTERS EMPHASIS ON ONE ASEAN ENTITY

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 28 (Bernama) -- Asean economic ministers Sunday spoke in one
voice in placing emphasis on Asean's centrality at the 16th Asean Economic
Ministers' Retreat.

Malaysia"s International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said member
countries acknowledged the need to return to the fundamentals of establishing
Asean as a single entity and market base.

"There is the need to restore Asean's credibility and to do that we got to put
our house in order. We need to ensure our track record is exemplary," he told
reporters after the two-day retreat which ended Sunday.

Highlighting the joint action to promote Asean as a single entity, Mustapa said
Asean economic ministers will visit Washington and Seattle this May.

Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan said Asean's centrality
was raised in response to expectation the grouping and East Asia should be the
locomotive for global recovery.

"They agreed Asean's centrality will have to be substantiated by the
consolidation of its own achievement.

"We are on track and we are talking about how to coordinate among ourselves to
project our voices and profile on the world stage," he added.

Citing an example, he said Indonesia informed its Asean counterparts that it has
been invited to attend the Group of 20 developing nations meeting in Canada this
June.

The Gulf Cooperation Council is also expected to meet Asean members in Singapore
on May 31 and June 1.

On economic developments, Pitsuwan said members of the grouping were not badly
affected by the global financial crisis.

"In fact, we are bouncing back faster and we are now more resilient than those
in many other parts of the world," he added.
-- BERNAMA