VIENTIANE -- Leaders of the 10 Southeast Asian nations agreed on Thursday to accelerate the process of accepting East Timor as the 11th member of ASEAN, diplomats said.
At the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, leaders agreed that some regulations and procedures for accepting new members could be eased -- such as allowing a longer timeline for cutting import tariffs -- to better optimize the bloc's benefits for all members.
