Aug. 30--SINGAPORE -- Southeast Asia must be careful not to resort to protectionist measures as the international trading system goes through a rough patch, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has warned.

Opening the 40th Asean Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) on Tuesday, Mr Lee said that the journey to achieve an integrated Asean Economic Community by 2015 would require "commitment and tough political decisions" from all 10 member states. With the AEM barely a day old, already one deal has been cast in stone: the signing of three agreements by the ministers that will allow their nations' doctors, dentists and accountants to take their skills more freely to work in any Asean country.

Ministers said that the pact, which will widen job opportunities for accountants, doctors and dentists, would allow them to work in other Asean countries so long as they have proper qualifications and standards that the countries have agreed to mutually recognise.

Similar schemes are already in place that cover architects, surveyors, engineers and nurses, said the statement. The accords will also ensure that professional standards in an Asean country are maintained, monitored and regulated.

Some feel that Singapore is likely to benefit from such a pact as it is currently experiencing a shortage of accountants and medical professionals.

This year's AEM was taking place amid a "testing period" for the international trading system, said Mr Lee in his speech.

Following last month's breakdown of the Doha Round of global trade talks in Geneva, he urged Asean nations to unite and make full use of the work done over the last seven years in order to reach new deals.

In the pipeline are free-trade agreements (FTAs) with Australia and New Zealand, both of which are likely to be signed within weeks, Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said.

The ministers also concluded FTA talks with India this week. China and South Korea are two more countries with which the bloc wants to seal agreements soon, while discussions with the European Union are under way.

Said Mr Lee: "We must also be watchful of any backsliding, and resist the temptation to raise trade barriers or resort to protectionist practices for lack of an overall agreement."

He added that Singapore, which handed over the chairmanship of Asean to Thailand last month, still believes that a "strong, rules-based global trading system" is the best recipe for continued growth and prosperity for both developed and developing economies.

"Asean should continue to integrate and liberalise our own economies. Our purpose is not to create a trade bloc; we are committed to open regionalism and we adopt an inclusive approach."

Asean has set itself the target of integrating itself into an economic community by 2015 to facilitate the movement of goods, services and people.

"Completing the roadmap to become an AEC will require commitment and tough political decisions. Our respective governments face pressing domestic economic and political pressures from time to time, but we must muster political will to implement the roadmap that we have agreed upon," said Mr Lee.

To track each country's progress in doing its part for integration, Asean has come up with a blueprint scorecard that will be used to update leaders regularly.

Said Mr Lee: "To be a credible organisation, we must match words with actions. The scorecard will be a useful tool. It will enable us to monitor our implementation efforts, engage users through a feedback mechanism, and address issues that may cause delays."

Dr Surin, meanwhile, said FTA talks with Australia and New Zealand were making good progress. A tentative pact was reached on Thursday but full details are not expected to be released until the December summit in Bangkok.

"I understand it's only a matter of protocol, a matter of procedure. We are working on one country that has some difficulty in this protocol, but we think that it is within reach," he said.

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