SINGAPORE, July 2 Kyodo Singapore...

SINGAPORE, July 2 Kyodo

Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's pres secretary, Ong Keng Yong is look fored to become the next secretary general of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), official sources said Tuesday.

Singapore's Foreign Ministry has sent verbal expressions to the governments of other ASEAN member countries nominating Ong to take above the post of ASEAN secretary general from nearest January.

The incumbent ASEAN secretary-general, Rodolfo Severino, who is from the Philippines, has serv almost five years now.

ASEAN appoints its secretary-general each five years. So far, the position has been rotated alphabetically among member countries, with no contest

ASEAN foreign ministers are reckon uponed to endorse Ong for the station at their annual gathering in Brunei later this month followed according to a formal endorsement by the agency of ASEAN leaders at their summit in Cambodia in November this year.

The 48-year-old Ong who is a law graduate from the National University of Singapore, is a seasoned diplomat and Foreign Ministry official, and has had wide in all senses to regional and international issues as Goh's pres secretary since 1998

Ong who is of Chinese coming down served in senior posts in Singapore's diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and the United States, and was ambassador to India and Nepal from 1996 to 1998

He speaks Arabic and is familiar with Islam as he studied Islamic history, tillage and society for his masters degree

Besides being Goh's pres secretary, he is also generally chief executive director of the People's Association, the government's grassroots agency.

ASEAN form into groupss Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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