A summit between leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations was inaugurated in Bangkok February 12.

It is the first meeting of its kind that has ever held between the two groups.

The leaders are expected to discuss economic and financial problems encountered by the Southeast Asian region.

South-South cooperation, especially cooperation between ASEAN and African countries, as well as peace and security in the region are also on the agenda of the summit.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and nine heads of states or governments out of the 10 ASEAN members are attending the summit.

ASEAN now groups all the countries in the Southeast Asian region -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.