MR. CO-CHAIRMAN,

MAY I START BY SAYING HOW PLEASED WE ARE TO SEE YOU AND YOUR DELEGATION, IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO WELCOME, YOU TO THE POST MINISTERIAL CONFERENCES FOR THE FIRST TIME. I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING YOUR STAY IN JAKARTA ESPECIALLY WITH THE EXCELLENT FACILITIES AND WARM HOSPITALITY EXTENDED TO US BY OUR INDONESIAN COLLEAGUES.

IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS SINCE BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BECAME THE COUNTRY COORDINATOR. WE HAVE ENJOYED WORKING WITH AUSTRALIA AND I FEEL THAT THE CLOSE PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WHICH HAS DEVELOPED BETWEEN OUR OFFICIALS HAS CERTAINLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR DIALOGUE ACTIVITIES.

OUR MEETING TODAY WILL ENABLE US TO EXCHANGE VIEWS ON REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE SHALL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR DIALOGUE RELATIONS. OVERALL, OUR DISCUSSIONS ON THE VARIOUS ISSUES WILL, OF COURSE, AIM AT STRENGTHENING COOPERATION BETWEEN US.

ON INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL ISSUES, WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR REGION. GENERALLY, THERE HAS BEEN POLITICAL STABILITY WHICH HAS LED TO STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. ASEAN ITSELF WILL BE EXPANDING AND THE VISION OF ASEAN,S FOUNDERS OF AN ASSOCIATION COMPRISING ALL TEN SOUTH-EAST ASIAN COUNTRIES IS NEARER TO REALITY NOW. WE EXPECT THAT THIS WILL LEAD TO ENHANCED COOPERATION AND A COMMON SOUTHEAST ASIAN APPROACH TO VARIOUS REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES.

IN VIEW OF WHAT WE SEE AS THE CRUCIAL LINK BETWEEN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, WE ARE KEEN CO TAKE A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH IN OUR CONSIDERATIONS OF HOW TO SUSTAIN PEACE AND STABILITY. IN THIS REGARD, WE APPRECIATE AUSTRALIA'S CONTRIBUTION ESPECIALLY IN OUR CURRENT EFFORTS TO PROMOTE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING AND PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY IN THE REGION, I AM PLEASED TO NOTE THAT WE CONTINUE TO SHARE COMMON VIEWS ON MANY INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL CONCERNS.

THIS IS IMPORTANT AS THE FORMATION OF "ASEAN TEN" WILL INCREASE OUR ASSOCIATION'S ECONOMIC SIZE AND SHOULD INTENSIFY TRADE REGIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. AT THIS STAGE WE ARE PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO SEE AUSTRALIANS INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, INDONESIA, MALAYSIA, PHILIPPINES EAST ASEAN GROWTH AREA.

WE WERE EXTREMELY PLEASED TO NOTE THAT AT THE RECENT ASEAN-AUSTRALIA FORUM HELD IN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, YOUR GOVERNMENT STATED THAT IT WAS WILLING TO TAKE PART IN ASEAN MEKONG DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION. YOU HAVE ALREADY EXPRESSED THE VIEW THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT COULD FURTHER ENHANCE THE REGION'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS CONTRIBUTING TO STABILITY AND FACILITATING THE INTEGRATION OF LAOS AND CAMBODIA INTO ASEAN. WE ALSO APPRECIATE YOUR LONG STANDING COMMITMENT WITHIN THE MEKONG SUB-REGION. SO PERHAPS YOU MIGHT CARE TO GIVE US YOUR VIEWS ON WHAT FORM YOU FEEL AUSTRALIA'S CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT COULD TAKE.

ANOTHER DEVELOPMENT WHICH RESULTED FROM DISCUSSIONS AT THE FIFTH ASEAN SUMMIT LAST YEAR WAS THE AGENDA FOR GREATER ECONOMIC COOPERATION. WE HOPE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS WILL LEAD TO FURTHER PROGRESS IN ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT AMONG ASEAN MEMBERS THEMSELVES AS WELL AS BETWEEN ASEAN AND ITS DIALOGUE PARTNERS.

TURNING TO WIDER REGIONAL AFFAIRS, WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE PROGRESS OF APEC. MEMBERS HAVE NOW SUBMITTED THEIR PRELIMINARY INDIVIDUAL ACTION PLANS AS A FOLLOW-UP TO THE OSAKA ACTION AGENDA. THIS IS ENCOURAGING AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE LEADERS' MEETING IN SUBIC, AFTER WHICH WE HOPE TO SEE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT AIMED AT TURNING THE BOGOR DECLARATION INTO PRACTICAL REALITY.

WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SINGAPORE W.T.O. MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE IN DECEMBER AS IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE, MOMENTUM OF TM W.T.O. GOING. OUR MAIN CONCERN IS THAT ISSUES WHICH ARE NOT RELEVANT TO TRADE SHOULD NOT BE INTRODUCED. AS YOU KNOW WE FEEL THAT THERE ARE OTHER BODIES WHICH ARE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF THESE MATTERS.

IN TERMS OF OUR OWN DIALOGUE RELATIONS, I AM PLEASED THAT OUR ECONOMIC COOPERATION HAS CONTINUED TO PROGRESS, AS HAS BEEN SHOWN BY THE STEADY INCREASE IN THE VOLUME OF TRADE AM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE AFTA-CER LINKAGE AT THE 27TH ASEAN ECONOMIC MINISTERS' MEETING IN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN. WE HOPE THAT AUSTRALIA WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY THE ASEAN FREE TRADE AREA. WE HOPE AUSTRALIAN INVESTORS WILL RECOGNISE THAT AFTA'S SUCCESS WILL BENEFIT NOT ONLY ASEAN BUT ALSO THE ENTIRE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION INCLUDING AUSTRALIA. WITH A CURRENT POPULATION OF MORE THAN 400 MILLION, ASEAN PROMISES A LARGE ADDED MARKET FOR AUSTRALIAN EXPORTS.

HOWEVER, I FEEL THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN OUR TRADE AND INVESTMENT COOPERATION. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT THERE IS STILL MUCH CONCERN OVER ACCESS TO THE, AUSTRALIAN MARKET WHICH HAS BEEN A MAJOR OBSTACLE IN THE GROWTH OF ASEAN EXPORTS TO AUSTRALIA.

WE ALSO FEEL THAT THERE IS A NEED TO INTENSIFY EFFORTS THROUGH TRADE AND INVESTMENT.

WHILST RECOGNISING THE IMPORTANCE OF REGIONAL TRADE, INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION, WE MUST NEVERTHELESS MAINTAIN OUR OWN ASEAN-AUSTRALIA ECONOMIC COOPERATION PROGRAMME.

IN THIS RESPECT, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR GREAT APPRECIATION TO THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FOR ITS GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION TO THE VARIOUS PROJECTS UNDER THE PROGRAMME,. THE A-A.A.E.C.P. HAS DONE MUCH IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR RELATIONS. IT HAS PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS BY PROMOTING THE AWARENESS OF ASEAN INSTITUTIONS AND THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL AND ENCOURAGES BUSINESS PEOPLE TO BECOME INVOLVED. I HOPE IT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING OUR INSTITUTIONS AND OUR PEOPLE TOGETHER AS THE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN OF CONSIDERABLE BENEFIT TO THE GENERAL DEVELOPMENT OF OUR REGION.

ON A MORE SPECIFIC NOTE, ALTHOUGH SOME ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN SLOW TO START, WE ARE GENERALLY SATISFIED WITH THE PROJECTS STREAM. THE LINKAGES STREAM IS ALSO PICKING UP. WE HOPE THAT, IT WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ITS AIM OF HELPING OUR BUSINESS PEOPLE KEEP IN TOUCH WITH EACH OTHER. THIS IS ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE GOING TO EXPAND OUR TRADE AND INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES.

THE OTHER AREAS OF OUR COOPERATION SUCH AS EDUCATION, THE ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE AND INFORMATION WERE REVIEWED AND DISCUSSED AT THE 17TH ASEAN-AUSTRALIA FORUM WHICH WAS HELD LAST MONTH IN BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN. WE ARE PLEASED TO SEE THAT SEVERAL PROJECTS HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED. THESE AREAS OF COOPERATION HAVE HELPED TO CREATE BETTER UNDERSTANDING AMONG OUR PEOPLE, AND I HOPE WE SHALL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OUR COOPERATION.

THESE, ARE, ALL POSITIVE, DEVELOPMENTS, CO-CHAIRMAN AND I BELIEVE THEY INDICATE THE HEALTHY STATE OF CURRENT ASEAN-AUSTRALIA RELATIONS. THEY ALSO REFLECT AUSTRALIA'S VERY WELCOME ENGAGEMENT IN OUR REGION AND OUR RECOGNITION OF THE IMPORTANCE WE PLACE ON AUSTRALIA'S ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC AS A WHOLE.

I AM SURE AN EXCELLENT FUTURE IS OPENING UP FOR US AS PARTNERS IN A WIDE RANGE OF COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES AND I LOOK FORWARD TO A MOST VALUABLE YEAR'S WORK AHEAD.

THANK YOU.