Vietnam prepared for AFTA

Vietnam prepared for AFTA

MANILA (AFP): Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are working for would-be member nation Vietnam's swift inclusion into the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), the Philippine Foreign Department said yesterday.

It said in a statement that Hanoi's inclusion in AFTA, as well as the South China Sea situation, nuclear testing in the Pacific and the crisis in Bosnia, was discussed by senior officials of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand ahead of an annual ministerial meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei.

Foreign Undersecretary Rodolfo Severino was quoted in the statement as saying that "the Philippines strongly backed Vietnam's early membership in ASEAN and we are working out the mechanics for Vietnam's inclusion in AFTA which should be acceptable to all parties concerned."

Although Vietnam will join ASEAN, its full inclusion in AFTA, a scheme to create a free trade area among member countries by 2000, is still uncertain since its economy is not at the same level as the rest of ASEAN.