SE Asia wants more focused approach against haze

MACTAN ISLAND, Philippines, Nov 9 (Reuters) Southeast Asian environment ministers wanting more focused and faster ways of ridding the region of thick haze will set up a panel this week in the Philippines to tackle the issue, officials said.

The haze from fires on Borneo and Indonesia's Sumatra island has been particularly bad in this year's dry season, spreading air pollution across large areas of Southeast Asia and rekindling fears about the impact on health and the region's economies.

''We expect to announce a fresh approach to address the haze problem,'' Angelo Reyes, the Philippine environment and natural resources secretary, told Reuters.

''Environmental problems know no political boundary. So, we're helping each other address the problem on haze. Those directly affected by the smog will do a lot more to cooperate and coordinate to come up with a long-term solution.'' Reyes said a regional panel on haze would be among issues to be discussed during a two-day meeting of the 10 environment ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) starting tomorrow.

Officials from China, Japan and South Korea are expected to join the talks on global and regional environmental issues and ways to expand cooperation in 10 priority areas of concern.

Reyes said there would also be discussions on ways to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, promote cooperation in marine resources research and push for the integration of environmental education programmes in the region.

A Filipino diplomat told Reuters the ASEAN ministers were racing against time to adopt an education action plan and an agreement on access and sharing of benefits from biological and genetic resources.

''These initiatives may not be approved in time for the ministerial meeting this week,'' said the diplomat, adding that more consultation was needed as only the Philippines and Singapore had agreed on the proposals.

''We're expecting better results from the discussions on the haze problem.'' Only Indonesia and the Philippines have yet to ratify a 2002 regional agreement to fight fires set deliberately to clear land for agriculture.

Severe fires and smog during a drought in 1997-98 made many people ill across a wide area of Southeast Asia, cost local economies billions of dollars and badly hit the tourism and airline sectors.

REUTERS PDM RK1300