Foreign ministers representing the five member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations ......known as ASEAN.....have attended a special one day meeting in Manila.

Thailand's Foreign Minister, Mr. Upadit Pachariyangkun, told the meeting that the five member nations of Asean....Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.....must work together economically.

The Foreign Minister of Singapore, Mr. S. Rajaratnam, said it was not enough that Asean should be a military alliance, but that it must work for the economic welfare of all members.

The Filipino Foreign Secretary, Mr. Carlos Romulo, urged the delegates to form what he termed, "an economic block for the good of Asia."
President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines ended the meeting with a speech calling for a meeting between Asean members and the main economic powers in the region, such as Japan and the United States.

After the meeting the five foreign ministers signed an agreement on mutual preferential tariffs aimed at increasing their trade and giving each other mutual advantages in meeting any international tenders they may call for.