Asean Countries Urged To Cut Expenditure On Foreign Defence Assets - Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- Asean countries should cut spending on buying foreign defense assets, said Malaysia Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He noted that Asean countries spent a hefty US$25 billion annually to acquire defence assets and proposed that they should instead develop their own arms. "Let the money be spent within Asean countries and not outside the region," he told a media conference here after attending the Defence Ministry's ministry assembly here Friday. Also present were his deputy Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad, the ministry's secretary-general Dr Ismail Ahmad and Armed Forces Chief Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. In 2009, Zahid had proposed the setting up of the Asean Defence Industry Collaboration (ADIC) to reduce asset imports from countries outside Asean and foreign exchange liquidity and for Asean to be self-reliant by producing its own defence assets. The proposal is still at the concept stage although it had been approved during the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 19 last year. Zahid said the call to cut defense spending was in line with the Asean spirit which did not desire an arms race among member countries. -- BERNAMA