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