`ASEAN network a potential force'

`ASEAN network a potential force'

MANILA (Reuter): Southeast Asian states are forming a network of defense ties that will enable them to act as military allies without the need for a formal defense pact, Malaysian Defense Minister Najib Abdul Razak said yesterday.

Najib rejected the idea of turning the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) into a defense alliance, saying that would only exacerbate tensions and provoke the suspicion of other nations in the region.

He made the remarks in a speech to Filipino military officers on the third day of a visit to Manila.

On Monday, Najib and Philippine Defense Minister Renato de Villa signed a defense agreement involving joint training, exchange of scholars, technology transfer and other cooperative ventures between the two armed forces.