NAJIB ARRIVES IN HANOI FOR ASEAN SUMMIT

HANOI, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak arrived here early
this morning, for a three-day 17th Asean Summit and Related Summit,
beginning Thursday.

The aircraft carrying Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, touched down at the
Noi Bai International Airport, here, at about 1.15am (Malaysian time: 2.15am).

The premier and his wife were welcomed by Deputy Foreign Minister Richard
Riot, Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam, Lim Kim Eng and Vietnamese Deputy Chief
of Protocol, Tran Thanh Cong.

Najib will have a packed programme with the opening of the 17th Asean Summit
at the National Convention Centre as well as the Summit in Retreat format and
Informal Working Dinner on Thursday.

On Friday, Najib will join his counterparts for the Related Summits. The
Related Summits include Asean+1 Summits with China, Japan, South Korea and
India; Asean+3; and the East Asian Summit (EAS) involving Australia, China,
India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea as well as four additional Summits
which are with Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations.

He will also attend the fifth Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle
(IMT-GT) Summit, to be held on the sideline of the 17th Asean Summit.

Najib is also scheduled to witness the signing of a Memorandum of
Under­standing (MoU) between Sapura Crest and Vietnam Petroleum on the sideline
of the Summits on Saturday.

During the 17th Asean Summit, Najib and his counterparts will exchange views
on regional and international issues of common concern to Asean such as Asean
connectivity, recovery and sustained development, food and energy security,
climate change, disaster relief, infectious diseases and the evolving regional
architecture.

Among the highlights of the 17th Asean Summit is the recommendation by the
Asean Foreign Ministers to the Asean leaders to formally invite the United
States and Russia to join the EAS in 2011.

The Asean leaders are expected to adopt three documents namely the Master
Plan on Asean Connectivity, the Asean Leaders' Statement on Human Resources and
Skills Development for Economic Recovery and Sustainable Growth and the Hanoi
Declaration on the Enhancement of Welfare Development of Asean Women and
Children.
-- BERNAMA