Caretaker Foreign Minister Dr Kantathi Suphamongkhon told The Nation in a telephone interview that the East Asian Summit (EAS) was a top-down forum, and it was crucial to have such a mechanism. "It is a shaping process for the EAS," he said.

The EAS comprises the 10 member nations of Asean plus Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.

At the first EAS meeting in December last year, leaders agreed on cooperation in 17 issues.

At yesterday's Asean ministerial meeting, Kantathi told The Nation ministers recommended several areas that were top priority.

They included energy security and alternatives, avian influenza and disaster mitigation.

Kantathi told the meeting of His Majesty the King's successes in providing cheap natural gas from animal dung - just one aspect of His Majesty's "sufficiency economy" initiatives.

It was for these and other efforts His Majesty was awarded the United Nations Development Programme's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The minister said senior officials and foreign ministers would be able to vet EAS decisions for further input or implementation.

The second EAS will be held in November on Cebu in the Philippines.

On the touchy issue of Burma, Kantathi explained Asean had expressed frustration over the lack of "tangible progress" in political reform across the border.

He said Thailand would continue to use all available channels to persuade Burma it was in its interests, as well as Asean's, to commit to reforms that would bring democracy and openness.