Australia moots Asian non-aggression pact

Australia’s foreign minister is expected to announce next week that Australia will sign a non-aggression pact with its south-east Asian neighbours when he attends an ASEAN security forum, an analyst said today.

Australian National University Asian security expert Tony Kevin said the move would come during Foreign Minister Alexander Downer’s trip to Laos, which started yesterday, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum, Asia’s biggest annual security meeting.