SE Asia near to anti-haze deal: UN

SE Asia near to anti-haze deal: UN

BANGKOK (AFP): Southeast Asian nations are closer to reaching a cross-border agreement on preventing haze pollution after a three-day meeting in Malaysia, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Thursday.

"The meeting made good progress in reviewing the draft agreement and identifying the key issues. The general contours of the agreement have become clearer," the UNEP said in a statement after the talks wrapped up Wednesday.

The organization said it had prepared an outline for the agreement in collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat.

The final agreement is expected to deal with the complex policy and technical issues of monitoring, prevention and mitigation of cross-border pollution, it said.