ASEAN Nears Pact to Fight Fiscal Crisis

Economic ministers from the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations meeting in Hanoi said they were close to an agreement to fight the region’s economic crisis. They still must get approval from home before working out the final details. The proposals then will be offered for approval by the countries’ leaders at the group’s summit in Vietnam this week. Philippine Trade Secretary Jose Pardo said officials must determine the impact of any incentives for foreign investment or cuts in tariffs. ASEAN includes Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.