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ASEAN charter comes into force

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-15 14:41

JAKARTA -- A charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formalized here on Jakarta on Monday.

Nine foreign minister and one communication minister of the group were present at the formalization at the ASEAN secretariat here.

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ASEAN signed the charter in November 2007, which sets out rules of membership, aiming to transform ASEAN into a legal entity in the region by 2015.

The formalization was initially scheduled at the 14th ASEAN summit meeting on December 15-18 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the political unrest in the country led to the postponement of the schedule.

A consensus of the meeting of the ministers on Sunday night said that the summit would be held in February in Thailand, said ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand currently holds the rotating chairmanship.