Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asians Nations (ASEAN) are set to sign a number of documents during the 12th ASEAN Summit here to further spur economic development and hasten the integration of the 10- member grouping into "One Caring and Sharing Community."

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo said on Friday that ASEAN ministers "have completed the ministerial level work" on these documents for approval at the leaders' summit, which is due to be held on Jan. 13-15.

The ASEAN heads of state and government are also expected to adopt other important agreements that will affect the region in the years ahead.

Founded in August 1967, ASEAN is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Through the years ASEAN has become an emerging economic grouping in this part of Asia.

The documents to be signed are:

-- The Cebu Declaration Towards a Caring and Sharing Community;

-- The Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint for an ASEAN Charter;

-- The Cebu Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers;

-- The ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism;

-- The Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015;

-- The Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Memorandum of Understanding on the Expansion of Air Linkages.

In a press conference Friday, Romulo said that the leaders will also adopt the World Trade Organization Stand-Alone Statement, an initiative of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "to reinforce ASEAN's commitment to fair and liberal global trade.

The regional bloc will also adopt a document, ASEAN commitments on HIV and AIDS (with attached operational plan).

Other documents to be signed during the summit include the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security; the formal accession of France and Timor-Leste to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation for a peaceful and secure Southeast Asia; the ASEAN-China agreements on the Trade in Services Agreement of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area; the Plan of Action to implement the Beijing Declaration on the ASEAN-ICT Cooperative Partnership for Common Development; and the Memorandum of Understanding between the ASEAN Secretariat and the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China.

Source: Xinhua