HANOI – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for an end to nuclear weapons, particularly endorsing the upcoming review conference for a nuclear non-proliferation treaty that will be steered by the Philippines next month.

Ridding the world of nuclear arms was among the international issues related to peace and security tackled by the ASEAN leaders at the conclusion of the two-day summit last Friday.

“We welcome all international efforts to promote nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including the convening of the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) in Washington DC and the NPT Review Conference in New York,” Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said in a statement.

“We reaffirmed our full support to the presidency of the Philippines of the 2010 NPT Review Conference for a successful outcome of the Conference which enables the balanced implementation of the Treaty's three pillars,” added the chairman of the 2010 ASEAN summit.

President Arroyo earlier sought the support of the ASEAN to rally behind the campaign of a nuclear weapon-free world during the summit discussions.

The NPT Review Conference in New York City, which will be chaired by newly appointed Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN Libran Cabactulan, seeks to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology to achieve the goal of nuclear disarmament.

“President Arroyo will attend the Nuclear Security Summit to be hosted by the United States to prevent nuclear terrorism,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

The Chief Executive will join 43 other world leaders invited by US President Barack Obama in discussions to develop steps to secure vulnerable nuclear materials; combat nuclear smuggling; and deter, detect and disrupt attempts at nuclear terrorism.

They will also discuss measures to promote nuclear security at the national, regional and global levels.

“The Philippines supports efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism with millions of Filipinos living and working in many parts of the world,” the DFA stated.

“As President Arroyo remains fully committed towards protecting its nationals abroad, she intends to actively cooperate with other leaders to squarely face the challenge posed by nuclear terrorism,” it said.

“The Philippines thus considers the NSS as a complement to ongoing efforts and initiatives to rid the world of nuclear weapons.”

Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian leaders also reaffirmed support for a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula and encouraged all concerned parties to settle their disputes through peaceful talks.

On another thorny issue clouding the regional bloc, the ASEAN leaders reminded Myanmar to ensure free, fair, and inclusive elections this year to contribute to the country's stability and development.

The summit talks that focused on sustained economic recovery and climate change were somehow overshadowed by the human rights issue in the troublesome member-nation.

“We also stressed the need that Myanmar would continue to work with ASEAN and United Nations in this process,” the Vietnamese leader said.

Prime Minister Thein Sein of Myanmar briefed the ASEAN leaders on the political developments and the progress made in the roadmap for democracy.

Another proposal of the Philippines got a nod from the ASEAN leaders. The ASEAN leaders also thanked the "kind offer" of the Philippines to locate the ASEAN human rights commission headquarters in Manila and requested the foreign ministers to consider this issue at a later stage. (With a report from Madel R. Sabater)