Downer praises ASEAN Summit

Downer praises ASEAN Summit

AUSTRALIA: Australia's participation in a Southeast Asian summit
this week buried criticisms that the government's close ties with
the United States was harming its relations with Asia, Foreign
Minister Alexander Downer said on Wednesday.

Downer described Prime Minister John Howard's participation at
the summit in Laos of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) as successful.

At the summit, Howard signed an accord with the 10 ASEAN
countries to launch talks early next year, aiming for trade pacts
within two years.

"From now onwards, as a result of what has happened in
Vientiane, could the Australian debate move on from people
believing that you can't have a close relationship with the
United States and sustain a close relationship with Asia?" Downer
told reporters in Canberra.

"Surely that argument along with many other arguments has been
buried in the last 24 hours."

Malaysia has invited Australia to take part in an East Asia
Summit next year, a development Downer described as "one of the
greatest events in the history of diplomacy."

"This is an enormous step forward in that great project of
Australian engagement with Asia," he said. --AP