POLITICS
ANUCHA CHAROENPO
The government will seek parliamentary approval to ratify the Asean Charter as its first move after Thailand assumed chairmanship of the 10-member Associations of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) yesterday. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who officially announced Thailand taking up the Asean helm yesterday, said this was the government's next step.
He said the proposal for approval would be placed once parliament convenes next month.
Mr Samak said he was told by Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan that Thailand must rush to ratify the Asean Charter as quickly as possible.
The prime minister's announcement came one day after Thailand assumed the Asean chairmanship following the 41st Asean Ministerial Meeting in Singapore on Thursday.
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| Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej shares a light moment with Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan at the Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday. Thailand has assumed the Asean chairmanship which rotates in alphabetical order. Bangkok will chair the regional grouping for 18 months, starting from yesterday. — APICHART JINAKUL |
Thailand will hold the position for one and a half years during which it will host one summit meeting in 2008 and two in 2009.
''After taking up the post I will tell House Speaker Chai [Chidchob] to take into consideration the Asean Charter within August and believe that it will not be opposed,'' Mr Samak said.
Thailand is now among three countries _ Indonesia and the Philippines being the other two _ which have yet to ratify the charter after it was adopted at the 13th Asean Summit in November 2007 in Singapore.
The prime minister said as the new Asean chairman he promised he would perform his duties fully and would cooperate with the leaders of other Southeast Asian countries.
''I will not do anything to cause Asean to lose face. I will consult them [the member nations] and will always think of them,'' he said.
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