KL wants joint arms industry

KL wants joint arms industry

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): Malaysia said members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should cooperate
in developing their defense industries in order to cut costs, The
New Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.

ASEAN collaboration would expand the industrial base and
maximize economies of scale, the paper quoted Malaysian Defense
Minister Najib Abdul Razak as saying on Sunday after a six-day
seminar for army logistics officers.

"We are now buying arms individually, but in our bilateral
discussions, we have talked of cooperation in terms of joint
purchases," he went on. "It may not happen now but I am
optimistic this will be a viable proposition in the near future."