Southeast Asian leaders agreed at their annual summit Saturday to create a tighter political bloc, turn their region into a free-trade zone by 2015 and fight harder against terrorism and poverty. In a major break with its consensus-based past, the 10-country body has agreed to discuss a plan that would form a more cohesive organization able to sanction or even expel members that do not follow its rules. The leaders also signed a counterterrorism pact legally binding their countries to share information, and allowing for joint training aimed at stemming terror and cross-border crime. They agreed on the protection of millions of migrant workers, and vowed to shift their energy uses from fossil to biofuels. The summit's host, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, stressed the need to bolster free trade within ASEAN, which was created in 1967. «ASEAN is committed to expanding its trade forum to become the largest in the world,» Arroyo said in opening the meeting, held under heavy security following three deadly explosions in the southern Philippines days before. The leaders want to establish the free trade zone by 2015, five years earlier than previously proposed, the Associated Press reported. It will be adopted in two stages, with the six richer nations _ such as wealthy Singapore and oil-rich Brunei _ starting the integration in 2010, and the others following by 2015. China, Japan and South Korea _ who will be participating in an expanded summit Sunday involving ASEAN's six «dialogue partners» _ hope to join the Southeast Asian grouping's economic circle. The other dialogue partners are Australia, New Zealand and India. ASEAN's members are the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei and Indonesia.
