Foreign, economic ministers gather today

The limelight will be on Cebu starting today as foreign and economic ministers from countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia gather to tackle several international agreements.

The Southeast Asian bloc’s first-ever legally binding agreement on counter-terrorism is one of several key deals due to be signed during the Jan. 11 to 15 meetings.

ASEAN is also expected to announce a blueprint for establishing the group’s charter and try to move up plans for a regional free-trade zone by 2015.

The related East Asia summit, which brings together ASEAN and six other nations — Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea — will look to make progress on establishing energy security across the region.

Nine foreign ministers, including those from Japan and Korea; five trade ministers; two senior officials; and an economic minister from Thailand are scheduled to arrive in Cebu today.

The foreign ministers include Win Nyan of Myanmar, George Yeo of Singapore, Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar of Malaysia, Dr. Nur Hassan Wirajuda of Indonesia, Namhong Hor of Cambodia, Thonglun Sisoulith of Laos, Nitya Pibulsonggram of Thailand, Katsuhito Asano of Japan, and Song Min-soom of South Korea.

Also arriving are Trade Ministers Tha Soe of Myanmar, Lim Hng Kiang of Singapore, Dato Seri Rafidah Aziz of Malaysia, Nam Viyaketh of Laos and Kim Hyun-chong of South Korea; Singapore senior official Peter Ho and Thai senior economic official Krirk-Krai Jirapa-et.

The rest of the foreign ministers participating in the summit are scheduled to fly in tomorrow, along with five heads of state and President Arroyo.

Foreign and economic ministers will hold consultations before the 10-member ASEAN summit on Saturday, followed by meetings of ASEAN leaders with their regional counterparts on Sunday and Monday.

Organizers said more than 1,000 local and foreign journalists are expected to cover the summits.

The ministers had largely finished their work before the postponement of the summits was announced last month, and organizers said more than half of the proposed agreements had been signed and more than 40 of the 92 meetings held.

Among key resolutions to be adopted is a legally binding Convention on Counterterrorism.

A draft calls on the nations to improve cross-border cooperation to prevent attacks, share intelligence and training, curb terror financing and rehabilitate convicted terrorists to prevent repeat attacks.

The summit is also expected to endorse energy security goals for the region that seeks to reduce its dependency on oil imports from the Middle East. Among them, ensuring a stable energy supply through investments in regional infrastructure, such as an ASEAN power grid and a gas pipeline, and exploring models for stockpiling fuel.

The 40-year-old bloc, which began liberalizing trade in goods in 1993, aims to become a single market and production base by 2020. But some members want the ASEAN free trade area realized by 2015 to ensure the region stays competitive and catches up with China.

High-profile advisers from the Eminent Persons Group, led by former President Fidel Ramos, will submit recommendations to ASEAN leaders for the radical changes in a long-overdue charter they are planning to draft.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary and director general for ASEAN affairs Luis Cruz said the "blueprint" for the ASEAN charter might be finished for the leaders to assess and adopt in Singapore, where the summits would be held later this year. — Pia Lee-Brago, AP