Cambodia is ready to host the 21st ASEAN Summit and related Summits later this week, government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said on Tuesday.

The country will host the bloc's annual event from Nov. 18 to 20 at the Peace Palace in the capital of Cambodia.

The Summits will be participated in by all ASEAN leaders and ASEAN's dialogue country leaders including newly re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, the spokesman told reporters.

Besides, there will be the participation of the heads of the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization.

"This is a pride for Cambodia that leaders of powerful countries will come to Cambodia," he said.

To date, some 1,850 reporters including 924 foreign reporters from 241 foreign publications in 40 countries had already registered with the information ministry to cover the forthcoming event, he said.

Among foreign reporters, Japan and China will send the most reporters to cover the Summit with 209 reporters and 129 reporters respectively.

To facilitate those reporters in reporting the Summits, the ministry has reserved a space of 3,000 square meters equipped with 300 desktop computers, he said, adding that the 300 Mbps speed internet is connected to those computers.

On the security side, he said over 10,000 Cambodian forces will be deployed to safeguard the Summits. The number does not include the foreign security forces who escort their respective leaders to the Summits.

Founded in 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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