Formation of ASEAN parliament urged

Formation of ASEAN parliament urged

MANILA (Reuter): The Philippines yesterday called for the formation of a regional parliament to pass laws to combat the spread of AIDS and drug addiction.

Congress Speaker Jose de Venecia urged parliamentarians from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to study the feasibility of setting up an ASEAN parliament by the turn of the century.

He made the proposal in a speech at the opening of the 15th annual meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization.

"The need for a supra-national legislature in ASEAN in the near future is on its way to acceptance," he said. A parliament "will certainly hasten ASEAN's full integration".

He said a regional legislature could pass laws on problems facing all ASEAN members: the environment, drug abuse and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

"An ASEAN parliament would also be a good forum for agreeing on an ASEAN position on global issues like the GATT agreements on trade and tariffs," de Venecia said.