HONOLULU, 14 August - The Secretary-General of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations today declared that the pressures from the recent financial crisis that swept countries in East Asia could lead to greater regional stability.

Speaking at a seminar on the international consequences of the financial crisis at the East-West Center here, Rodolfo Severino, the Secretary-General, said that the domestic reforms that East Asian countries were being pressed to undertake would pave the way to sustained growth and strengthen political and social stability in those countries. This, he said, would benefit regional stability.

He pointed out that the financial crisis had convinced East Asian countries that they must move away from a "relationship-based" way of doing business and creating wealth to one that was more "rules-based" and market-driven. He stressed that this required building up the private sector and training people to master modern technology and professional management, handle market forces, and supervise financial and other economic transactions fairly and objectively.

Severino told the seminar, which was attended by senior governmental officials and academics from the United States and East Asia, that the development of the private sector and of human skills could enlarge the middle class and promote pluralism in East Asian societies. This could lead, he said, to temporary instabilities but would strengthen stability in the longer term.

However, he warned, some countries may not be able or willing to make the transition, which could widen the gap between ASEAN countries, weakening the ability of ASEAN to manage Southeast Asia's diversity and sometimes divergent interests, something that could have an impact on regional security.

At the same time, Severino stated, the crisis had moved ASEAN to speed up the integration of the regional economy. ASEAN, he recalled, had decided to speed up the completion of the ASEAN Free Trade Area to 2002, with the scheme substantially completed by next year. He pointed to ASEAN's agreement to remove obstacles to investments among its members and to plans for linking the region through transportation, communications and electricity networks.

Severino stressed that the greater economic integration of Southeast Asia would help strengthen regional stability.

Beyond Southeast Asia, he pointed to the growing closeness between ASEAN and the three Northeast Asian countries of China, Japan and South Korea. He cited the growing inter-connection among their economies, as demonstrated by the financial crisis, the rising level of regional trade, and the now-frequent meetings among their leaders, their finance ministers, and other high-level officials.

An "East Asian Vision Group," he said, was convening in a series of meetings to chart the course of the relations among the countries of East Asia.

The growing interaction in the region, Severino observed, could help East Asian stability by increasing opportunities for cooperation and constructive contacts among the countries there.