Southeast Asian Leaders to Issue Declaration Upholding International Law Amidst Global Crisis

MANILA: Southeast Asian leaders plan to issue a contingency plan that upholds international law, sovereignty and freedom of navigation in what could be seen as a veiled rebuke to the United States, Israel and Iran over the West Asia war which has impacted their region, according to a draft declaration seen Thursday by The Associated Press. The declaration is set to be issued by the leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations when they meet in an annual summit on Friday in the central Philippine island province of Cebu. It also outlines a crisis plan to deal with the energy shortages and other global problems caused by the war. This year's host, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has said the summit with 10 other national leaders and a lower-level representative from Myanmar will focus on the region's energy security, food supply and the protection of its people, including more than a million Southeast Asian workers and seafarers in West Asia. Marcos has ordered the gathering to be stripped of its traditional pomp in recognition of economic headwinds worldwide. A volatile but economically fast-growing region of about 680 million people, Southeast Asia has its share of major flash points, including decades-long territorial disputes involving China , a five-year civil war in Myanmar and a recent border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia . But its leaders have expressed serious concern over a war that has caused global economic fallout and endangered many citizens of their nations.