MANILA, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- The Philippines hopes to host a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations, reported local daily Manila Bulletin on Sunday.

    The daily quoted Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro L. Baja Jr. as saying that such a summit will be discussed in the annual luncheon of the ASEAN foreign ministers with UN Secretary General Annan and the president of the 59th UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 28.

    "The time is ripe to hold a second summit," said Baja, citing the increasing ASEAN-UN cooperation in various fields since the first ASEAN-UN summit in Bangkok in February 2000.

    He said the Philippines hopes the summit would be held in Manila, or in New York during the Summit on Millennium Development Goals in September next year, when the Philippines assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council. Enditem