51.   Hungarian leaders are currently seeking to speed up the process of gaining membership of the Atlantic alliance.

52.   Ankara has threatened to boost its already close links with the TRNC, but denied annexation plans, if Cyprus gains EU membership.

53.   Burma was admitted as an official observer this week and is expected to gain full membership in ASEAN in about two years.

54.   But the OECD has called on Seoul to open up its protected financial markets and improve its labour sector in order to gain membership.

55.   Cambodia and Laos will gain full membership next year, while Burma is expected to join a year later.

56.   The Seoul government, since it gained the membership of the OECD in December, has taken the initiative by amending related laws for further financial deregulation.

57.   Their admission as observer automatically gains them membership in the ARF, where participants exchange views on security issues in the region to promote better understanding among themselves.

58.   The authorities here are aiming to gain WTO membership for Taiwan by July.