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India, ASEAN to jointly combat terror

Heralding a new era in their relationship, India and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] on Tuesday decided to cooperate in combating terrorism and agreed to create a Free Trade Area.

Addressing the first ever summit between India and the 10-member grouping, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee also announced greater tariff concessions to Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

Setting the tone for the summit, Vajpayee told the leaders of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei and Thailand on the need to establish the FTA with India in the next ten years.

A joint statement issued after the summit said, "The leaders agreed on the importance of enhancing their close economic cooperation and to work towards India-FTA linkages."

The Indo-ASEAN move towards working on an FTA came a day after China and the grouping decided to establish such a mechanism in the next ten years to gradually eliminate trade barriers.

India and ASEAN agreed on developing "concrete programmes of cooperation" on terrorism, inter-linkages among trans-national crimes, trafficking of illegal drugs, sea piracy, trafficking in children and women, arms smuggling, money laundering and economic and cyber crimes, the statement said.

Vajpayee underlined the need for exchange of intelligence among the ASEAN members.

ASEAN appreciated India's recognition of and its willingness to accede to the 'Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia'.

The statement voiced "deep gratification" over the course the India-ASEAN cooperation has taken so far, particularly in a wide range of areas in science and technology.

The two sides also agreed on the need to consolidate and enhance their "close economic relations" by promoting trade and investment, facilitating market access, improving the flow of technology and enhancing the flow of and access to trade and investment-related information.

"They also agreed to cooperate in the World Trade Organisation, in particular towards the early entry of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in WTO," the statement said.

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