Security troika to win approval

Security troika to win approval

BANGKOK (AFP): ASEAN's plan for a "troika" to mediate on
regional disputes looks likely to win support from the group's
foreign ministers who will meet here next week, analysts said on
Friday.

A draft communique of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations ministerial meeting said the troika would enable "ASEAN
to respond to an emergency situation in a timely and effective
manner."

Ministers "believed that having this new mechanism close at
hand would enhance the responsiveness and relevance of ASEAN at
the advent of the new millennium," it said.

Analysts said there was a strong likelihood the proposal would
be ratified next week.

A senior official from Malaysia, which is known to have
concerns over the proposal, insisted Friday that the troika would
not challenge ASEAN's policy of non-interference in members'
affairs.