MALAYSIAN PM TO LEAD M'SIAN DELEGATION TO ASEM SUMMIT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun
Razak will be leading the Malaysian delegation to the two-day 8th Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, which begins on Monday.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement here Friday, Najib will be
accompanied by his wife Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Minister
Anifah Aman and officals from the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister's Department
and Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

"The 8th ASEM Summit will afford Malaysia the opportunity to reiterate
Malaysia's position on key international issues as well as to enchance
Malaysia's role and commitment with regard to Asia-Europe relations," the
statement said.

Themed "Quality of life, achieving greater wellbeing and more dignity for
all citizens", or captured in short "Quality of Life", the summit will discuss
various issues of mutual concern to Asia and Europe, including financial and
economic governance, advance on the path of sustainable development, global and
regional issues, people-to-people contact as well as ASEM visibility and the
future of ASEM.

During the visit, Najib is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with
counterparts from Asia and Europe to discuss various issues of mutual concern,
besides delivering his intervention on the topic "Financial and Economic
Governance" on Monday.

Together with other ASEM Leaders, the prime minister is also scheduled
to participate in the Asia-Europe Business Forum on Tuesday, which will see the
participation of high-level members of the economic and financial industries
from Asia and Europe.

Leaders of the summit are expected to endorse a Chair’s Statement and a
Declaration on the Global Economic Crisis. The Chair's Statement is expected to
incorporate pronouncements by ASEM Leaders on various current issues and
challenges in the political, economic and social fields while the Declaration
would address the Leaders' resolve in moving towards effective global and
economic governance.

ASEM was established in March 1996 with an inaugural summit in Bangkok, with
the participation of leaders from the initial six Asean member countries, China,
Japan and Republic of Korea and leaders from the European Union (EU) member
states as well as the European Commission (EC).

The ASEM Summit is the main platform where dialogues and engagements between
Asian and European leaders take place every two years at alternating venues
between Europe and Asia. The previous summit was held in Beijing.

The Summit is also the highest decision-making level in ASEM.

ASEM's key activities are grouped into three main pillars namely political
dialogue, economic cooperation and cultural interaction.

-- BERNAMA




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