The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will issued two key statements on tackling climate change problems at the forthcoming Singapore ASEAN Summit, local media reported yesterday.

Local television Channel NewsAsia quoted the grouping's Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong as saying that the first statement will be issued by the ten member countries themselves at the Summit of leaders on Nov. 20, while the second one will be issued jointly with leaders of the East Asia Summit, which include China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Ong said ASEAN's message to the global community on addressing the issue of climate change is clear, and the grouping is not falling behind the rest of the world in dealing with global concerns.

"ASEAN countries, coming from different levels of development, have different national concerns. So what they have done is to work out a baseline - this is what all of us can do together, so let us put it down for the first time in a clear, specific way," he was quoted as saying.

He also pointed out that the biggest concern in Southeast Asia is the forests, and ASEAN's position is that forests must be harvested in a systematic way.

The report said the grouping will follow certain guidelines which have already been developed, and the guidelines will also been trenched in the leader's statement.

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