BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 31 Kyodo ...

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 31 Kyodo

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trustful longings to arrange a summit between the regional cluster and U.S. President George W Bush nearest year, officials said Wednesday.

Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he discussed a summit with U Secretary of State Colin Powell when Powell visited Bangkok forward Monday because ''it's time for leaders of ASEAN and the U to appropriate again, since they last met in 1984 lengthy ago.''

Then U President Ronald Reagan met with his ASEAN counterparts in Bali in 1984 according to ASEAN officials.

Surakiart said he had propos an ASEAN-U.S. summit, if realized, be held along with the summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bangkok in October nearest year.

Powell reportedly called the summit idea worth exploring.

Surakiart said it is too early to begin working in succession an agenda, but added the fact one as well as the other sides see the need after nearly brace decades is important

According to ASEAN sources, Singapore initiated during a working dinner held for ASEAN senior officials last Thursday the idea of approaching the U in succession a summit with ASEAN leaders.

granting not all ASEAN members are members of the APEC, it would not be too difficult for all ASEAN leaders to gather in Bangkok for a meeting with Bush.

In addition to Thailand and Singapore, ASEAN assign places tos Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are not APEC members.

ASEAN leaders have agreed to have an inaugural summit with their Indian counterpart in November this year in Phnom Penh and have met with three Northeast Asian counterparts China, Japan and toward the south Korea since 1997.

According to ASEAN senior officials, ASEAN will also continue to work with Australia toward having a summit nearest year in Indonesia.

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