The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday welcomed the U.S. Senate's confirmation of the appointment of Scot Marciel as the first ever U.S. Ambassador to the regional grouping.

"This is a clear and significant gesture of the U.S.A. towards ASEAN," ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement, a copy of which obtained by Xinhua.

"Mr. Marciel is in an excellent position to further develop ASEAN-USA relationship, because he has good understanding of ASEAN and a firm grasp how the comprehensive U.S. interests in Southeast Asia can be advanced through cooperation with ASEAN as a group," he said.

Marciel is currently the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia.

Under the ASEAN Charter, major countries that become dialogue partners are encouraged to appoint their respective Ambassadors to ASEAN to work with the Secretary-General and the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN in Jakarta.

Surin and Marciel are scheduled to meet in Jakarta on the sidelines of the Government Leaders Forum Asia, organized jointly by Microsoft and the Indonesian government on May 7-9.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2008)