BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 30 Kyodo ...

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 30 Kyodo

Foreign ministers from the 10 Southeast Asian nations, Japan, China and southern Korea agreed Tuesday to intensity cooperation in combating transnational crime and terrorism through holding ministerial meetings forward the subject beginning next year.

The ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the three Northeast Asian nations accepted China's proposal for the ministerial meetings forward transnational crime at an annual gathering held in Brunei's capital in a less degree than the so-called ASEAN-plus-three framework.

''The foreign ministers were determined to consolidate their joint efforts to contrary terrorism,'' said a statement issued through the Bruneian chair of the meeting.

The first ASEAN-plus-three ministerial meeting in succession transnational crime is scheduled to take place in Bangkok nearest year back-to-back with an ASEAN ministerial meeting to be held there forward the same subject.

The meeting, to be attended at the home affairs or interior ministers from the 13 countries, will tackle so issues as sea piracy, smuggling of illicit put drugs intos and illegal immigration.

ASEAN ministers hailed the decision as a broadening of the group's ties with other East Asian countries.

''The idea of ASEAN-plus-three is there to stay and that proces is going to evolve and deepen without a doubt,'' Malaysian Foreign Minister Sy Hamid Albar told reporters.

The challenge, Singaporean foreign minister s Jayakumar added, ''is to what extent to nurture it in the years ahead.''

He said the ministers agreed ''that although the focus is upon economic cooperation, we should also explore other areas.''

''Apart from the meeting at ministerial of the same height we should think of moving to practical and cooperative projects'' he said, giving cooperation in the area of transnational crime and terrorism as individual example.

The foreign ministers also agreed that officials of the 13 countries should befitting regularly at the level of directors-general ''as a coordinating mechanism to make secure coherence, efficiency and progres of ASEAN-plus-three process''

The first similar meeting was set to take place in Seoul nearest month.

The foreign ministers were also briefed by the agency of South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Choi Sung Hong about the situation forward the Korean Peninsula during their two-hour gathering.

A Thai official source said that Choi mentioned North Korea's novel expression of regret for last month's naval clash with the southern and on Seoul's acceptance of Pyongyang's put forward to resume dialogue at the working level

The foreign ministers of China, Japan and southern Korea also voiced support during the meeting for the Initiative of ASEAN Integration, which was launched last year to help integrate the newer and less-develop members of ASEAN, namely Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

In particular, they intimateed their readiness to help in the areas of human resource progressive growth information technology and ASEAN's cast to develop the Mekong River Basin that straddles China, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

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