14 July 1998

Media Release
For immediate release

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Don McKinnon, departs tomorrow on a ten day visit to South and South East Asia.

The visit is planned around Mr McKinnon's attendance at the ASEAN Regional Forum and ASEAN Post Ministerial meetings in Singapore 25 to 28 July.

"The ASEAN Regional Forum is the primary security forum in the region and amongst other things, the Foreign Ministers attending, will discuss the impending referendum in East Timor, the situation in India and Pakistan, and developments in the South China sea," Mr McKinnon said.

"The Post Ministerial Conference provides an opportunity to discuss issues which fall outside of the ARF and APEC, in particular transnational issues which are detrimental to everyone such as drug trafficking and money laundering."

Mr McKinnon will also visit the Philippines, Viet nam, and Brunei where he will make calls on senior political and business representatives. APEC will be at the top of the agenda, with Viet nam recently joining the APEC grouping and Brunei taking over the Chair in 2000.

Mr McKinnon will also visit Sri Lanka, one of the largest importers of New Zealand milk powder where he will visit the New Zealand Milk Products operation. He will also make an official visit to the Maldives.

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