The Philippines would lead the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2006 if Burma bows to pressure and stands aside, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said today.

"I do not think it is something very difficult or imponderable. If Myanmar (Burma) decides to forgo its chairmanship, Asean has always operated on a basis of (taking turns in alphabetical order)," he told reporters.

"It is going to happen exactly in that way," he said, referring to the Philippines' place immediately after Burma in the line-up of the 10-nation grouping.

However Syed Hamid said the succession would have to be approved by Asean, which is currently waiting for Burma to advise whether it plans to insist on taking over the rotating chair.

"I think by implication the next on the list should take it, but this needs to be formalised and endorsed in an Asean meeting," he said.

US, EU boycott

Military-run Burma is scheduled to take over the Asean helm from Malaysia in July 2006. But some members as well as Asean's western partners oppose such a role for the outcast regime.

Holding the Asean chair means Burma will set the group's agenda and direction as well as host a series of meetings, including a summit and a high-level security forum involving the United States and the European Union.

The United States and the EU have warned they will boycott Asean meetings if Burma is allowed to chair the bloc, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Asean's members have traditionally observed a principle of non-interference in each other's affairs. But its secretary general Ong Keng Yong admitted last week that some members had openly been expressing opinions about the prospect of Asean being led by Burma.