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HUA HIN, Thailand: ASEAN leaders have called for the setting up of a high-level task force to prepare a masterplan on ASEAN connectivity.
In a statement issued on Saturday, ASEAN leaders said the masterplan is to be ready for the 17th ASEAN Summit in Vietnam in October 2010.
The leaders noted that the key to promoting ASEAN connectivity was developing the physical infrastructure, multimodal transportation and ICT linkages.
To achieve this, the leaders said they support developing an infrastructure development fund for ASEAN and called on its dialogue partners and interested external parties to contribute to the fund.
Furthermore, the leaders agreed that the ASEAN chair and the ASEAN secretary-general should be invited to participate in future G20 summits in order for ASEAN to present its collective views.
This will also ensure close coordination between its regional approaches and the global approach undertaken by the G20.
The leaders have entrusted the ASEAN finance ministers to coordinate the grouping's position ahead of G20 summits and to establish an ASEAN G20 Contact Group. This will comprise the ASEAN chair, Indonesia and the secretary-general.
Turning to developments in Myanmar, the leaders emphasised the importance of achieving national reconciliation.
They also stressed that the general election to be held in Myanmar in 2010 must be conducted in a fair, free, inclusive and transparent manner in order to be credible to the international community.
ASEAN also urged North Korea to comply fully with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The grouping said all concerned parties should return to the six-party talks as soon as possible and fully implement the commitments made in previous rounds of the process.
Vietnam will be the next ASEAN chair, and the 16th ASEAN Summit in Ho Chi Minh city will be held in April next year.
- CNA/so
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