Possibility of ASEAN meet elevated to the UN strong

The National Organizing Committee of the 12th ASEAN Summit, in a press statement, said there is a "strong possibility that the ASEAN engagement will be elevated to the United Nations."

Foreign Affairs assistant Secretary and director general for ASEAN Affairs Luis Cruz said the "regional grouping's foreign ministers are now studying the possibility of holding an ASEAN-UN meeting sometime in July together with newly installed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon."

Ban replaced Koffi Annan early this month.

He has been invited to attend the summit, but it was unlikely for him to come due to his tight schedule, with only a week into his new post, Cruz said.

Putting the ASEAN in the spotlight before UN is apart from the fact that President Arroyo will be bringing the political and economic momentum that will be brought by the ASEAN Summit in the World Economic Forum, which is slated to be conducted from January 25 to 26 in Davos, Switzerland and where the President will be the lead speaker.

WEF is an annual meeting of key global leaders, chairpersons and executives of the world's top corporations and eminent members of international media, the academe and civil society.

"The President's participation in this year's WEF is an important and significant opportunity to present to the world the economic prospects that the Philippines and Southeast Asia have to offer to global business and financiers," the Department of Foreign Affairs said. - Cristina C. Birondo