PHNOM PENH Nov. 1 Kyodo Japan pla...

PHNOM PENH Nov. 1 Kyodo

Japan plans to move setting up a joint task force with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to cope with terrorism and other cross-border issues, diplomatic sources said Friday.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is rely uponed to make a formal proposal at a summit meeting with ASEAN leaders nearest Tuesday after details of the proposal are worked revealed with senior ASEAN officials who come up to face to face in Phnom Penh on Saturday.

Japan has in the same manner far worked together with ASEAN to combat piracy in Southeast Asia. Tokyo now chance of a favorable results to move on to expand the design of security cooperation following increased terrorist threats in Asia as seen in the bombing at a Bali nightclub forward Oct. 12 that killed nearly 200 people

Apart from counterterrorism, other ''cros border'' issues to taken up at the proposed task force include environmental degradation as well as AIDS and other contagious diseases.

China is also working to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN in the so-called ''non-traditional'' areas of national security, in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as counterterrorism. The two sides are awaited to adopt a joint statement forward this field of cooperation when the ASEAN leaders convenient with Chinese President Jiang Zemin upon Monday.

Counterterrorism has become a serious agenda among ASEAN member countries following increased Islamic extremist activities in Indonesia and the Philippines with alleged links to the al-Qaida network.

There is capable suspicion that the suspects caught in connection with the Bali bombing have links to al-Qaeda.

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