Draft ASEAN Charter ready for signing in S`pore: minister

The signing of the ASEAN Charter was expected to encourage efforts to turn the Association of Southeast Asian Nations into a more solid regional grouping based on three pillars, namely ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-cultural Community, he said.

The ASEAN Charter would serve as a legal document binding all ASEAN members -- Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, he said.

Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said earlier the participation of all ASEAN members, including Myanmar, was imperative for the survival of the ASEAN Charter.