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JAKARTA, July 1 Asia Pulse - Australia has been invited to attend a summit of South-East Asian leaders in Laos later this year to discuss a possible free trade pact.
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said tonight that the invitation for Australia's prime minister was a great opportunity.
The foreign ministers' meeting in Jakarta from the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations yesterday decided to invite Australia along with New Zealand to the ASEAN summit in Vientiane in late November.
But they said the invitation would be a one off to mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic links between Australia and the region's premier political and economic grouping.
"I think it's a very important step forward for Australia in building our relations with ASEAN," Mr Downer said as he arrived in Jakarta for talks with his ASEAN counterparts.
"How the summit eventually pans out will depend very much on the dynamics at the time it takes place in November.
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