JAKARTA -- East Timor's accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has received considerable attention in diplomatic circles since November, when leaders from the bloc agreed "in principle" to admit the island state as its 11th member. But experts caution that the tiny country of 1.3 million people still has much to do to meet the expectations of existing members.
"Even as East Timor was admitted to join ASEAN, I think it will be not easy, and will take time," one diplomat from outside the bloc told Nikkei Asia earlier this month.
