Myanmar ratifies Asean charter
Saturday, July 19, 2008
MILITARY-RULED Myanmar has ratified a charter by Southeast Asian nations that aims to create an economic bloc of half a billion people, Singapore's foreign minister said yesterday.
"Myanmar has recently ratified it and will be announcing it next week officially," Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo told Dow Jones Newswires published on the ministry's web site http://www.mfa.gov.sg.
Representatives from Asean's 10-member countries will meet in Singapore next week to discuss the early ratification of the charter and the creation of a human rights body. Often dismissed as a talking shop, Asean signed the charter last November with the aim of creating an economically, socially and politically integrated bloc by 2015.
Only Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have not ratified the charter, whose deadline is in December. Yeo is sure they will do so by year-end. Reuters
"Myanmar has recently ratified it and will be announcing it next week officially," Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo told Dow Jones Newswires published on the ministry's web site http://www.mfa.gov.sg.
Representatives from Asean's 10-member countries will meet in Singapore next week to discuss the early ratification of the charter and the creation of a human rights body. Often dismissed as a talking shop, Asean signed the charter last November with the aim of creating an economically, socially and politically integrated bloc by 2015.
Only Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia have not ratified the charter, whose deadline is in December. Yeo is sure they will do so by year-end. Reuters
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