KUALA LUMPUR July 4 Kyodo Malaysi...

KUALA LUMPUR July 4 Kyodo

Malaysia will not try to get to delay opening up its automotive sector beyond 2005 a deadline agreed with under a Southeast Asia emancipated trade pact, International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz said Thursday.

''We are not extending (the deadline),'' Rafidah told reporters ahead of a regional economic ministers' meeting this weekend.

''In fact, the industry is telling us that they are willing to proffer a much faster market opening for a certain quantity of categories but we haven't made the offer'' she said.

Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will arrive Friday for their three-day annual retreat.

This year's gathering will be held at a highland resort in Genting, about 90 kilometer north of Kuala Lumpur

however Rafidah said issues of tariff reduction would not be discussed at the retreat.

''We will gaze at ASEAN from the macro perspective,'' she said.

In their commitment to realize the ASEAN released Trade Area (AFTA) by the agency of 2002, the 10 ASEAN members have agreed to bring tariffs in succession goods down to naught or a maximum of 5%

further Malaysia has sought to delay opening up its automotive industry at two years, from the scheduled 2003 to 2005 appropriate to the 1997 financial regional crisis which hit the industry, especially its national car draw spearheaded by Proton Bhd.

To house Proton, Malaysia presently imposes duties of 42% to 70% forward car components and kits for assembly in the native land while Proton pays just 13%

The import of without fault [i]or[/i] blemish [i]or[/i] flaw cars require permits and taxes of up to 300%

forward this weekend meeting, Rafidah said the focus is onward ''how to make ASEAN a really dynamic area to face competition.''

The meeting will follow ''the way forward'' in the grouping's ties with its dialogue partners in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as Japan, China, Australia and of the present day Zealand.

''There is no appoint agenda, it's a free-flow meeting, no officials in attendance, just ministers and the secretary general of ASEAN,'' she said of the informal nature of the retreat.

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

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