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.