ASEAN delegates meet in Hanoi

ASEAN delegates meet in Hanoi

HANOI (AFP): ASEAN delegates bunkered down to focus on regional issues here on Wednesday seeking to finalize an agreement on resolving the growing wealth gap between member countries, officials said.

A Vietnamese ASEAN foreign affairs spokesman said forum delegates were focusing on closing the development gap between member countries, which range from First-World Singapore to dirt- poor Cambodia.

Delegates were tight-lipped about the contents of talks and media were barred from approaching officials but the Vietnamese spokesman said discussions were continuing.

Sources said the priority remained passing a draft of the Hanoi Declaration on ASEAN aimed at "narrowing the development gap for energetic and sustainable growth."