CEBU, Philippines, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) considered moving the bloc into a more "rules-based" community as they concluded all their summit meetings here Monday in Cebu, central Philippines.

    Founded in 1967, ASEAN is now seeking ways to guide the 40-year-old bloc towards a new direction with a series of declarations and agreements on ASEAN Charter draft, community-building, counter-terrorism, protection of migrant workers and other issues being adopted at the 12th ASEAN Summit.

    "This year's summits are set to break new ground towards greater solidarity, cohesiveness and cooperative in the whole East Asia," said Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who chaired the summit. "The future for the region looks brighter."

    ASEAN CHARTER BLUEPRINT SIGNAL

    At the first day of the summit meetings on Jan. 13, ASEAN leaders unanimously endorsed the Cebu Declaration on blueprint of ASEAN Charter to form the basis of a mini-constitution that seeks to transform ASEAN into a legal entity with binding rules and regulations.

    The blueprint for the ASEAN Charter proposes transforming the 10-member bloc towards a more rules-based rather than simply a consensus-based organization.

    A High-level Task Force has been mandated by the leaders to carry out the drafting of the ASEAN Charter and the Eminent Persons Group (EPG)'s recommendations.

    "We are committed to establish an ASEAN Charter as a crowning achievement of 40 years of ASEAN to enable ASEAN to meet future challenges and opportunities," the ASEAN leaders said in the declaration.

    According to the declaration, ASEAN may need to calibrate the traditional policy of non-intervention in areas where the bloc's common interest dictates closer cooperation.

    Failure to comply with decisions of the ASEAN dispute settlement mechanisms may lead to suspension of the rights of a membership and the recourse to expulsion of membership is possible" unless otherwise decided by the ASEAN Council in exceptional circumstances."

    "After 40 years, ASEAN is now at a critical turning point," the EPG said in their report submitted to ASEAN leaders.

    COMMUNITY-BUILDING DETERMINATION

    ASEAN leaders on Jan. 13 also adopted the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015, agreeing to further spur economic, political security and socio-cultural cooperation in the region.

    In the declaration on community, ASEAN leaders showcased their determined effort to deal more effectively with the increasing range of trans-boundary concerns the region faces.

    The ASEAN leaders said in the document that they recognized that different levels of development within ASEAN require some flexibility as ASEAN moves towards a more integrated and interconnected future.

    Under the Declaration, the leaders expressed their strong commitment towards accelerating the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 under the three pillars of the ASEAN Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

    The leaders agreed to accelerate the full implementation of the ASEAN Community's program areas, measures, and principles, with appropriate flexibility and speed up the establishment of a stronger, more united and cohesive ASEAN that can better manage the challenges posed by the evolving regional architecture and economic climate.

    They also committed to further expanding ASEAN's engagement with its dialogue partners -- Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand and other parties, an engagement which they believed will assist ASEAN in its integration efforts to achieve the ASEAN community by 2015.

    LANDMARK ANTI-TERROR PACT

    During the 12th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, ASEAN leaders adopted the Convention on Counter Terrorism, a historic pact that enables member countries' anti-terror units to track movements of suspicious money or people throughout the region, and to allow for the extradition of terror suspects.

    The convention is the first and a legally binding convention onanti-terrorism.

    In order to make the region safer, the ASEAN leaders adopted the historic convention on anti-terrorism.

    The ASEAN member countries will take the necessary steps to "prevent those who finance, plan, facilitate, or commit terrorist acts from using their respective territories for those purposes against" other member countries.

    The 10 ASEAN countries agreed to strengthen their cooperation against terrorism in the following major areas:

    -- Enhancing intelligence exchange and sharing of information;

    -- Strengthening capability and readiness to deal with chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear terrorism, cyber terrorism and any new forms of terrorism; and

    -- Ensuring that any person who participates in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts or in supporting terrorist acts is brought to justice.

    Other documents signed by the ASEAN leaders include the Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers, the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security; the formal accession of France and Timor-Leste to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation for a peaceful and secure Southeast Asia.

    During the summits, France and Timor-Leste both acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) which requires signatories to renounce the use or threat of force against ASEAN members.

    France was the 11th country outside ASEAN and the first European one to sign the treaty, after Australia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Russia.

    After becoming the 12th country outside ASEAN to accede to the TAC, meanwhile, Timor-Leste has voiced hopes of becoming a formal ASEAN member within the next few years.

    Founded in August 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Its dialogue partners are China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.