May 02, 2008	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 25, 1429

WASHINGTON: The US Senate has confirmed the appointment of Washington’s first envoy to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), calling it a significant move, Congressional aides said on Thursday.

Envoy Scot Marciel, who is a deputy assistant secretary of state, had told a Senate confirmation hearing last month that he planned to travel extensively throughout the region to improve ties.

The Senate confirmation “is an extraordinary milestone affirming the strong bipartisan commitment of American leaders and the American people to maintain and broaden our relationship with Asean,” said Senator Dick Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate’s foreign relations panel.It establishes the precedent of the United States being the first country to appoint an Ambassador to Asean, said Lugar, whose legislation helped create the position.

Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Asean nations have a combined population of nearly 600 million, and together constitute the fourth largest export market for the United States.

They include two US treaty allies — the Philippines and Thailand — and the world’s third-largest democracy and the most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia.—AFP