Nuke-free pact set for summit

Nuke-free pact set for summit

BANGKOK (AFP): The seven ASEAN nations will sign a treaty here next month declaring the region a nuclear free zone but still allow the five nuclear powers free passage, a foreign ministry official said yesterday.

The signing of the Nuclear Weapons Free Zone accord is to be the highlight of the Dec. 14-15 summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said.

The protocol, finalized at the ASEAN senior officials meeting last weekend in Jakarta, bans the production, processing and testing of nuclear weapons. But it allows the development of nuclear technology for peaceful use.

The Jakarta meeting also saw the group overcome the last obstacle to the treaty when the officials agreed to let aircraft and ships carrying nuclear weapons pass through the region.