1.     The Sixth ASEAN Transport Ministers Meeting (6th ATM) was held on 4-5 October 2000 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The Meeting was preceded by the 10th Senior Transport Officials Meeting (STOM) held on 2-3 October 2000.

2.     H.E. Pehin Dato Haji Zakaria Sulaiman, Minister of Communications of Brunei Darussalam, chaired the 6th ATM, with H.E. Dato’ Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik, Minister of Transport Malaysia, as Vice-Chairman.

3.     In the 6th ATM, the Ministers reviewed the implementation progress of the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) transport agenda and Successor Plan of Action in Transport 1999-2004 and the developments relating to the three ASEAN agreements on transit, inter-state and multimodal transport. They also reviewed the progress made in the sectoral negotiations for Air Transport and Maritime Transport under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services (AFAS), which were conducted for the first time under STOM.

4.     The Ministers were gratified that the STOM Working Groups had in place the implementing mechanisms to carry out the programs and activities under the Hanoi Plan of Action/Successor Plan of Action in Transport 1999-2004. In particular, the Ministers recognized, among others, the following notable accomplishments and developments:

1. Adoption of the ASEAN-wide network of 51 designated airports and 46 designated ports, respectively, to form integral parts of the trans-ASEAN transportation network envisioned in the Hanoi Plan of Action;
   
   

2. Preparation of the ASEAN Highway Infrastructure Development Plan and the finalization of route numbering for the ASEAN Highway’s 23 designated routes;
   
   

3. Completion of the feasibility study for the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link Project;
   
   

4. Ratification of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit by all member countries by 31 December 2000;
   
   

5. Ongoing establishment of the National Transit Transport Coordinating Committees (NTTCCs), in time for the first meeting of the regional Transit Transport Coordinating Board (TTCB) next year;
   
   

6. Completion of the Mekong freight logistics study for Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam and the conduct of follow- up ASEAN-wide freight logistics workshops in 2001, with Australian assistance;
   
   

7. Adoption of the Road Safety Implementation Work Plan 2001-2004;
   
   

8. Implementation of the Fifth Workshop-cum-Seminar on Urban Transportation in Manila, Philippines in October 2000 and the first Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP)-initiated ASEAN Seminar Series on Enhancement on Road Safety in Tokyo, Japan in March 2001, with Japanese assistance;
   
   

9. Conduct of the first ASEAN Joint Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) in 2001, covering both the aeronautical and maritime search and rescue activities;
   
   

10. Implementation of the ASEAN Cruise Development Study, jointly with the ASEAN National Tourism Organizations(ASEAN NTOs); and
    
    

11. Preparation of human resource development programs for ASEAN maritime institutions, civil aviation authorities, inland waterways transport agencies and multimodal transport operators.
    
    

5.     The Ministers were also pleased that international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as the private sector organizations comprising ASEAN shipowners, port authorities, freight forwarders, shippers’ councils and ASEAN national airlines are taking active part in STOM programs and activities.

6.     The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of the overall improvement of transport infrastructure linkages and in strengthening institutional arrangements for transport facilitation and logistics, as these initiatives would greatly speed up the process of closer economic integration in ASEAN and the implementation of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). In this regard, the Ministers enjoined STOM and the relevant Working Groups to submit the final drafts of the following Agreements, for adoption and signing at the 7th ATM:

1. ASEAN Framework Agreement on Multimodal Transport;
   
   

2. The remaining transport-related Protocols for the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit; and
   
   

3. ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Inter-State Transport.

7.     The Ministers noted that an ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on Air Freight Services is being formulated, for possible signing at the Seventh ATM. The Ministers lauded the STOM’s proposal to develop the regional cooperative framework and guiding principles for the liberalization of air services in ASEAN, through a Ministerial Resolution, for possible conclusion at the Seventh ATM.

8.     The Ministers also enjoined STOM to endorse the third package of commitments for the Air and Maritime Transport sectors in time for the Seventh ATM, prior to submission and consideration at the 33rd ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Meeting in October 2001.

9.     The Ministers endorsed the consultancy study on the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link (SKRL) Project, with the route configuration covering the seven ASEAN member countries and the People’s Republic of China. The Ministers noted that Malaysia will present the findings to the next ASEAN Summit.

10.    The Seventh ATM will be held in Malaysia in September 2001.

11.    The Sixth ATM was held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity.