Southeast Asian countries here on Tuesday reaffirmed commitment to prevent, suppress and eliminate international terrorism in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), gathering here for the 39th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM)/Post Ministerial Conferences/13th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which opened in the day, reiterated strong condemnation against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and emphasized the need to address the root causes of terrorism.

In a joint communique issued after the foreign ministers wrapped up their discussions, the ministers urged the ASEAN Ministers Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) to heighten cooperation in these areas including other relevant ASEAN bodies and ASEAN Dialogue Partners. Brunei, a member of the regional grouping, will host the 6th AMMTC in 2007.

The foreign ministers expressed hope that the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters would be ratified by all ASEAN member countries, so as to improve the effectiveness of cooperation in combating transnational crime and terrorism through mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

The foreign ministers called for continued close cooperation between security-related bodies, such as Interpol, ASEANAPOL and the relevant national authorities, particularly relating to intelligence information sharing on terrorism.

The 10 ASEAN member countries, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia were also urged to strengthen the existing technical cooperation for the development of capacity and capacity of counter terrorism-related agencies and officials.

The foreign ministers also stressed the need to pursue cooperation to prevent and combat corruption.

Source: Xinhua