BANGKOK, July 15 (Xinhua) -- The flu A/H1N1 issue, a common concern for Asian countries, was put on top agenda for the forthcoming meetings of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand, according to an official of Thai Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.
The ASEAN meetings, with the theme of "Acting Together to Cope with Global Challenges," will discuss a variety of issues, such as economics, politics, society, culture and disasters, Vitavas Srivihok, Director-General of the ASEAN Affairs Department of Thai Foreign Ministry, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
The new flu outbreak issue will be raised for discussion among the foreign ministers from the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan and Republic of Korea) and in the other forums, he said.
"It is going to be one of our priorities to discuss with the participating countries (during the forthcoming meetings)," said Vitavas.
In the economic sphere, the upcoming ASEAN-China foreign ministers' meeting will focus on deepening cooperation to promote the regional economy and trade, he said.
The two sides will discuss how to deepen the linkage of the transportation infrastructure in the region to stimulate the economic growth, Vitavas said.
Another key deal, which has been closely watched by the international community, is about the ASEAN-U.S. tie as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will sign documents with the ASEAN countries for the U.S. accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in the southeast Asian region.
The TAC, which is established by the founding members of the ASEAN member countries in southeast Asia, is a peace treaty.
Clinton is also scheduled to meet with her counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam to discuss the transnational human development.
"The U.S. now gives more importance to Asia and the ASEAN in particular so during the meetings the U.S. requests Thailand as the host country to facilitate the meeting between the U.S. and the four countries," Vitavas said.
Meanwhile, within the ASEAN community itself, the human rights issue will be the highlighted during the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, he said.
On July 19, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting with the High Level Panel (HLP) on the ASEAN Human Rights Body and with the High Level Experts Group (HLEG) on the ASEAN Charter will be organized.
"A final report on terms of reference for the ASEAN human rights mechanism, prepared by the high level working groups, is expected to be endorsed at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) on July 19," said Vitavas.
If it is endorsed by the AMM meeting, it will go straight for an endorsement at the 15th ASEAN Summit to be held in Thailand in October, he said.
"So, we expect we can establish the ASEAN human rights mechanism by the 15th ASEAN Summit in October," he said.
The 42th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) will be hosted in the southern province of Phuket from July 17 to 23.
Ten Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN countries and of the dialogue partners such as China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, and also the United States, have confirmed their participation.
More than 1,200 delegates from 26 countries and related organizations will attend a total of 32 ASEAN-related meetings in Phuket.
Editor: Yan
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