HANOI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The fifth meeting of the High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter is being held here on April 19-20, local newspaper New Hanoi reported Friday.

    The draft charter is expected to be submitted to leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for approval at the 13th ASEAN Summit slated for November in Singapore.

    The construction and approval of the charter will be a milestone in ASEAN's history, helping change an association into a more closely connected, effective and dynamic community which better adapts to new challenges in rapidly developing regional and international situations, the newspaper said.

    The meeting in Hanoi is being held in a friendly, cooperative and constructive atmosphere.

    ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.