ASEAN, Aussie, NZ, to sign pact

ASEAN, Aussie, NZ, to sign pact

CANBERRA: Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand will agree at a meeting in Brunei Darussalam mid this month on a program to boost economic ties, an Australian official said Thursday.

"There's going to be a declaration adopted on a closer economic partnership between AFTA and CER, which focusses on a work program in the coming years aimed at facilitating trade and investment," the official, who declined to be named, told reporters.

AFTA is the ASEAN Free Trade Area, while CER, or Closer Economic Relations, defines the economic relationship between Australia and New Zealand, which includes a free trade agreement.

The declaration will be signed during a meeting of ASEAN economic ministers and CER consultations, the official said. -- Dow Jones