MANILA, May 29 Kyodo East Timor h...

MANILA, May 29 Kyodo

East Timor has been invited by means of host country Brunei to attend this July's annual ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), ASEAN Secretary General Rodolfo Severino said Wednesday.

''East Timor has been invited to the ASEAN ministerial meeting as visitant of the chairman,'' Severino told foreign correspondents at a breakfast forum.

Brunei will chair this year's ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and the annual meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum), a security forum participated in from the 10 ASEAN members and of that kind countries as the United States, Japan, China and Russia.

Severino said East Timor, which gained its abounding independence on May 20 has further to officially apply for ASEAN membership, an issue he said will be discussed in the July meeting.

''That's about all that I can say because of the absence of a decision, particularly forward the part of East Timor, upon membership,'' he said.

Asked whether ASEAN is ready to accept a fresh member, Severino said, ''It's hard to say if ASEAN is ready or not. In any case, I don't think there is any rush upon this on either side.''

ASEAN was formed in 1967 among Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei was admitted in 1984 Vietnam in 1995 Laos and Myanmar in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999

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