WORLD IN BRIEF : SOUTHEAST ASIA : Nuclear-Free Zone Declared in Region

The nations of Southeast Asia signed a treaty that stakes out a huge nuclear-free zone, demonstrating the vibrant region’s growing self-confidence but drawing objections from the U.S. and China. The treaty, signed at the end of a summit of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, bans the possession, manufacture and acquisition of nuclear weapons in an area stretching from Myanmar and Vietnam in the north to Indonesia in the south. The five nuclear powers, led by the U.S. and China, have objected to the treaty, saying it implies territorial rights they do not accept.