ASEAN mulls UN training for peace-keeping forces

He told reporters after bilateral consultations with Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan at the Foreign Ministry that Asean and the UN should cooperate in the area of peace-keeping. He said that within the region Malaysia had vast experience in peace-keeping.

The third Asean-UN summit, which will be attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will be held back to back with the Asean summit.

At the moment, the Asean summit is tentatively scheduled for February 27 to March 1. Kasit said it would take a few more days to finalise the dates.

Following the postponement of the summit last month, the host nation has been searching for dates that will suit all Asean and dialogue partners who will take part.

UN-sponsored training is one of the several transnational issues that Kasit and Surin discussed. Others included labour migration, the Asean role in humanitarian relief and disaster management and review of free-trade agreements signed by the grouping. He said Thailand would work closely with the Jakarta-based Secretariat on all issues and at all levels.

At the upcoming session of Parliament, remaining Asean-related documents will be approved, including the free-trade agreements with India, Australia and New Zealand and the Asean-China free-trade agreement on services.

In a separate interview, Asean Secretary-General Surin said yesterday that Thailand should be given a chance to host the 14th Asean Summit as the country had returned to normal.

"It will be the first opportunity for Thailand to show that it has the stability to host a successful summit," Surin said. He pointed out that this summit was important because it would be the first meeting where Asean and its dialogue partners China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand could show what they could do to face up to the challenges posed by the global financial crisis.

He also said that all Asean countries would appoint their permanent representatives to the Jakarta-based Asean Secretariat by the end of March. Singapore was the first country to appoint its Asean envoy. Lim Thuan Kuan will present his credentials to Surin tomorrow.

The permanent representatives will collectively constitute the Committee of Permanent Representatives, whose tasks include supporting the work of the Asean Community Councils, coordinating with Asean national secretariats and other Asean ministerial bodies and liaising with the Asean Secretary-General and Secretariat.