Australia will be invited to attend the inaugural East Asian summit in Malaysia this year if it signs a non-aggression pact with the Asean group of Southeast Asian nations, a minister said in a report Saturday.

"It is very simple and straight forward. The requirement is whoever wants to be part of the summit must be part of the fundamental agreement," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

"Sign, and you will be part of the (new Asian grouping) process," he said.

Australia said Friday it planned to hold more talks with its Asian neighbors about a way to overcome its concerns about signing the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which prevents signatories from using force against one another.

Prime Minister John Howard, who has angered regional leaders by saying Australia reserves the right to launch preemptive strikes against suspected terrorist bases in neighboring countries, says the treaty is a holdover from the Cold War and could clash with Australian-US security agreements.

Trust an d sincerity

Syed Hamid said any country attending the East Asian Summit in December must share the values of trust and sincerity to ensure peace and security in the region.

The summit is expected to be a step towards an emerging East Asia regional grouping comprising Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Japan, China and South Korea.

India and New Zealand, which have agreed to sign the friendship treaty, have been invited to the summit.