Four newer members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have drafted a strategy to expedite the process of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), an official newspaper reported Friday.

The draft strategy, worked out by senior officials of Cambodia,Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam at their Thursday meeting, is to be submitted to their summit for joint declaration scheduled for November this year, the New Light of Myanmar said.

The strategy will also include setting up of an economic cooperation framework for the four countries, aimed at achieving prosperity in the sub-region through enhanced solidarity, mutual respect, closer friendship and active cooperation, it added.

Projects of IAI, which have been under implementation since 2002, are in steady progress. Funding for about 50 projects out of54, formulated under a six-year IAI work plan (2002-2007), has been secured, according to the Department of ASEAN Affairs of Myanmar.

The work plan has been launched to promote regional economic integration, enhance equitable economic development and poverty alleviation in the four newer ASEAN members after regional leadersagreed on the IAI during their 2000 summit, aimed at narrowing thedevelopment gap among ASEAN members by assisting the four countries.

There are four priority areas under the IAI, namely infrastructural development in terms of transport and energy, human resources development, information and communication technology (ICT) and regional economic integration in terms of trade, investment and customs.

Meanwhile, to monitor the implementation of the IAI projects, an IAI task force has also been formed, chaired by CLMV countries in rotation with Myanmar acting as coordinator for ICT working group and together with Malaysia as co-shepherd to accelerate the ICT projects.

Source: Xinhua