Britain is considering signing within the year the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the local daily Philippine Daily Inquirer website Monday quoted a British official as saying.

Upon a visit to the Philippines during the Easter holiday, British Minister of State Kim Howells told Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo that London wants to sign the TAC before the ASEAN Charter is in place or before the European Union signs it for its member-states, said the report.

The draft ASEAN charter was presented during the ASEAN summit in Cebu in January, and is scheduled to be completed by July, discussed and endorsed in November at the next ASEAN summit in Singapore.

France became the first EU member to sign the TAC with ASEAN in January in Cebu, which was regarded as the first step for the signatory state to formally engage ASEAN. As a preparatory step for joining ASEAN, Timor Leste also signed the TAC in January.

Signatories to TAC also agree to engage the 10 ASEAN member- states diplomatically and never through force.