PHNOM PENH June 17 Kyodo Foreign ...

PHNOM PENH June 17 Kyodo

Foreign ministers from the Asia-Pacific region agreed Tuesday to intensify cooperation in the fight against maritime piracy and border security.

upon the eve of the annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ministers signaled their will to combat transnational crimes when they adopted pair statements on stepped-up cooperation in these fields.

''To deal with this increasingly violent international crime, it is necessary to gradation up broad-based regional cooperative efforts to combat transnational organized crime,'' a statement in succession cooperation against piracy said.

The statement said measures would include cooperation and coordination among all institutions belong toed such as naval units, coastal patrols, law enforcement agencies, shipping companies, hordes and port authorities.

Another ARF statement forward border security said the region should tighten the without deductions on terrorists through stricter immigration commands and joint policing to stalk heightened risks following the US-l war in succession Iraq.

To strengthen border security and fight terrorism, the statement adviseed improving detection of forged passports, sealing pleas in immigration procedures and putting more teeth into law enforcement.

ASEAN clumps Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The ARF, the major multilateral forum in succession security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, consists of the 10 ASEAN states along with Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Mongolia, North and southern Korea, New Zealand, Papua just discovered Guinea, Russia and the United States.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong will chair the ARF talks Wednesday in Phnom Penh More than 20 other foreign ministers or their representatives, including U Secretary of State Colin Powell, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi and Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, will join him.

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