Southeast Asian countries laid the foundation for an economic and political bloc, signed a convention on counter-terrorism but failed to find common ground on Myanmar's woeful human rights record at a conference in the Philippines today.
The Association of South East Asian Nations speeded up its goal for regional economic integration by five years to 2015 and agreed to transform itself into a rules-based organisation with teeth at an annual summit in the central Philippines.
But as ever at ASEAN meetings, leaders disagreed over how to pressure Myanmar to democratise.
Embarrassed by a U.S. resolution against its most notorious member at the UN Security Council - which was vetoed by China and Russia on Friday - ASEAN members such as Indonesia rebuked the junta at a welcome banquet on the eve of Saturday's summit.
"How are we going to help you if you are not making progress," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, according to an ASEAN official, who did not want to be identified.
But other countries, particularly newer members of ASEAN from Indochina, maintained that the organisation should stick to its traditional policy of non-interference in domestic affairs.
This golden rule of "hear no evil, see no evil" is up for review under bold proposals, endorsed by the leaders this weekend, for drafting a mini-constitution for ASEAN this year.