Political will is needed from all sides to make the upcoming US-Asean summit in New York a success worth repeating every year Finally, the White House has issued an official statement saying that President Barack Obama has invited Asean leaders to New York for the second Asean-US Leaders Meeting, which will take place on September 24. It is already known that most of the world's leaders, or their representatives, will go to the annual United Nations General Assembly to give addresses on behalf of their nations. But the US government this time wants to make the occasion doubly special by meeting with the Asean leaders outside the UN forum.

At first, the US wanted the Asean-US summit to take place in Washington DC, to demonstrate the importance of renewed and strengthened ties between the US and Southeast Asia. However, after several discussions, no exact timetable was produced. President Obama has now realised that at some point, he has to give his full attention to Asean, after he made public commitments to do so during his election campaign and upon entering the Oval Office. A twice-postponed visit to Indonesia during the first half of this year has already upset Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

However, inviting all the Asean leaders to Washington could have had serious complications. What would have happened if the Burmese junta leader decided to attend a summit at the White House? Having the leader of the reviled military dictatorship in the capital with the president would have been seen as disastrous for the US, which has carried out a sanctions war against the Burmese regime and called for openness and democratisation there. The summit in New York is a far more practical arrangement, as all UN members are invited to attend the General Assembly.

The meeting comes at a time when the US is increasing its engagement with Asia. In July, Washington finally decided to join the East Asia Summit (EAS), the premier region-wide forum, founded by Asean in 2005. After years of recalcitrance, the US decision to be part of the Asean-led forum will not only enhance the grouping's profile, but will help the US's overall strategic imperative in the region. Regional security, disaster management, nuclear non-proliferation and climate change are all agenda priorities in this new and expanded dialogue forum.

Obviously trade and investment will be touched upon at the meeting in New York, but given the two-hour timeframe, the Asean and US leaders will prioritise the most important issue of security and regional peace.

One caveat is in order: The Asean-US meeting in New York must not be portrayed as a regional attempt to contain China's growing influence in East Asia. Any such proposition, if it were backed by the US, would have far-reaching repercussions for the region as a whole. Beijing is still upset about strong comments made recently by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over the South China Sea. China continues to think that Asean, through Vietnam, might be colluding with the US to undermine its position in the region.

Asean is hoping that by inviting both the US and Russia to join the expanded EAS, all the concerned major powers will be able to exchange views and increase mutual confidence and trust.

Asean will benefit greatly from the exercise and, at the same time, the chances of any possible conflict in the future will be reduced.

Asean must make sure that by inviting the world powers to the grouping's table, relations between them will not worsen. The regional grouping therefore needs to control the agenda and the scope of future EAS engagements.

The Asean-US Leaders Meeting will now become an annual event, and both sides have to show commitment of the highest order to make the summit worthwhile. All sides realise that getting their leaders together for a few hours is difficult, even in this globalised world - and that they must make the most of all available opportunities. The most important element is a shared political will to talk problems through.