Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Cambodian National Assembly approves ASEAN Charter

chinaview.cn
2008-02-26

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian National Assembly here on Monday unanimously approved the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asia Nations) Charter.

"The ASEAN Charter will bring our country into the economic and social integration with other ASEAN countries and also into the ongoing process of globalization," said Pen Pagna, chairman of the legislation and justice committee of the parliament.

"It can help us rule by law and walk to democracy and development, too," he added.

The charter has 13 chapters with 55 articles. All ASEAN member countries have to ratify it.

The ASEAN Charter aims to transform ASEAN into a rules-based legal entity like the European Union and paves the way for closer integration within the group.

Under the charter, all ASEAN member states will have equal rights and obligations. They will also be legally entitled to sue one another.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia joined ASEAN in 1999.

Editor: Du Guodong

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