ASEAN to back U.S. war on terror with new pact

ASEAN to back U.S. war on terror with new pact

Reuters, Kuala Lumpur

Southeast Asian nations will sign a declaration next week to share financial and immigration intelligence with the United States in support of the U.S.-led war on terror, a Malaysian official said on Wednesday.

The 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will adopt the proposed anti-terror declaration during a regional security forum to be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, the official said.

ASEAN foreign ministers are due to meet in Brunei between July 26 and Aug. 2.

"We are expecting unanimous support for the declaration," an official at the Malaysian foreign ministry told Reuters.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Tuesday the content of the ASEAN declaration would be similar to one signed by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad during a visit to Washington in May.

In that pact, Kuala Lumpur agreed to cooperate with Washington on sharing financial information and immigration control.

"We feel that it is better if ASEAN countries sign it as a joint declaration to exchange information and combat international terrorism," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying by Malaysia's official Bernama news agency.

The U.S. praised Malaysia's efforts to support the U.S.-led war on terror after it locked up dozens of suspected Islamic militants and busted what it says were cells with links to the al Qaeda network, blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks.