MANILA - The Philippines will host a meeting in Manila next month of senior officials from Southeast Asia and the United States to plan for an ASEAN-U.S. summit, a senior Philippine diplomat said Tuesday.
    
Philippine Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ricky Manalo said in an interview with Kyodo News that the preparatory meetings will be held ''soon after'' the Oct. 25 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Cha-am, Thailand.
    
''We have to host the (preparatory) meetings. We have to prepare the papers,'' he said.
    
The Philippines serves as coordinator of the ASEAN-U.S. Dialogue, the first-ever summit meeting between ASEAN member-countries and the United States.
    
Manila assumed the role as ASEAN coordinator after taking over the three-year rotating responsibility from Singapore last July.
    
As country coordinator, the Philippines will be the conduit for the 10 ASEAN member-states in its interactions with the United  States. It will also be in charge of organizing meetings.
    
''As dialogue coordinator, the Philippines will do all it can to increase ASEAN-U.S. cooperation over the next three years,'' Manalo said.

Singapore to host summit 
    
Singapore will provide the venue for the summit between the leaders of the U.S. and the 10 members of ASEAN, having earmarked Nov. 15 for the meeting to coincide with the annual leaders' meeting  of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
    
Thailand, the current chair of ASEAN meetings, will chair the ASEAN-U.S. summit.
    
''The Philippines, as coordinator, will do all the work, so we will be in the background,'' Manalo said.
    
He said topics to be discussed in the planned summit include political, security, economic and cultural issues.
    
''We will come up probably with an outcome document...so that will be like the roadmap for the next three years,'' he said.
    
He voiced hope that the ASEAN and U.S. leaders will adopt the document during the summit.
 
Myanmar to attend
   
Manalo said Myanmar will attend the planned summit.
    
''That's the significance of this meeting. The U.S. is willing to meet all 10 ASEAN countries, including Myanmar,'' he said. ''Right now, they (the U.S.) have already indicated they are willing to meet with Myanmar.''
    
In 2007, former U.S. President George W. Bush offered to host a summit with ASEAN at his ranch, but did not want Myanmar to join.
    
The 10 ASEAN members -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- are also members of APEC, which includes the United States, Japan, China and other Pacific Rim countries. (Kyodo)