¡¡¡¡BALI, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad said his farewell to leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the grouping's summit in Indonesia's Bali Tuesday.

¡¡¡¡"This can be my last participation in the ASEAN Summit. The time has come for me to leave after 22 years in office," said Mahathir, who is expected to retire by the end of October.

¡¡¡¡He said ASEAN is one of the most important regional organizations in the world and will continue to become the cornerstone of Malaysia's foreign policy.

¡¡¡¡The European Union provides an excellent example of regional integration for ASEAN to follow but "I'm not suggesting an Asian Union, the process can begin with an ASEAN Community," he said.

¡¡¡¡He stressd the need for ASEAN members to uphold the non-interference principle in international affairs and to promote multilateral approach in dealing with international issues.

¡¡¡¡Mahathir made the remarks after the signing of the ASEAN Concord II by leaders of the 10 member countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Enditem