The southeastern Asian armies agreed on Tuesday to bolster cooperation to face the threat of terrorism as collective enemy, Indonesia's army chief said.  

The statement was made after the closing of 5th annual ASEAN Chief of Army Multilateral Meeting in Jakarta.

Present at the meeting were chiefs of army of the 10-member Association of the Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN).

"Terrorism in a small scale is not the obligation of the army, but if the scale has been high, using war equipment, bombs, and missiles or such kind, it becomes the obligation of the army," Indonesian Chief of Army Ryamizard Ryacudu said at a joint press conference.

On the same occasion, Malaysian Army Chief Azumi Mohamed said that to collectively achieve the target, it is necessary to enhance professionalism and solidarity among ASEAN armies.

During the meeting, the participants also agreed to boost transparency, exchanging intelligence information among the ASEAN member countries.

ASEAN's members comprise Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2004)