MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The U.S. dismissed suggestions that its commitment to Asia is waning. Russia said it wants to get more involved in the region. So did China, and everyone agreed that nuclear weapons should be kept out.

Wednesday was the day for intense discussions on the sidelines of Asia's biggest security meeting, and foreign ministers got a chance to advance their countries' agendas on everything from security and terrorism to economic development and free trade.

At the center was the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, host of the annual ASEAN Regional Forum, which held bilateral meetings with the United States, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Some delegates expressed disappointment that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice canceled her attendance to travel to the Middle East.

But Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, who took her place, said the U.S. "considers its relations with ASEAN as a critical component of its dealings with East Asia as a whole."

"Our engagement in this part of the world is strong, and we are committed to deepening our ties even further in the time ahead," he said.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeoh shrugged off suggestions that Rice's absence was a slight to the region while adding that U.S. engagement in critical.

"These are challenging times that we live in, and U.S. leadership is critical," he said. "The ASEAN-U.S. relationship is a key pillar in the regional architecture. For ASEAN, this partnership is crucial for the balance of the evolving geopolitical structure."

ASEAN is trying to bolster its collective clout as other countries seek better relations and trade in a region seen as full of potential investment and sales opportunities. Started 40 years ago as a bulwark against communism, the group is finally drafting a charter as it is tries to evolve into an economic force capable of competing shoulder-to-shoulder with other blocs like the EU.

At the same time, it is trying to ensure that it maintains internal unity despite wide disparities among its members in economic development and political systems and doesn't lose control over the ARF, the security grouping it formed that has since expanded to 27 participants.

Russia was among those making a pitch for more cooperation.

"This is certainly an upgrade of the attention on the part of the Russian government," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he told the group. "We would like to instruct our senior officials and not-so-senior officials who could deal with Russia-ASEAN relations to work in a more intense mode."

He said they had decided on key areas of cooperation, including science and technology, energy, disaster prevention and anti-terrorism.

Not everyone was happy about increased economic integration. Riot police used shields and batons to turn back a group of about 100 protesters who tried to approach the meeting site, claiming free-trade deals and other agreements are deepening the rich-poor divide and only benefiting prosperous countries. Some carried banners against Negroponte.

ARF members have agreed to create a new group to help prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said.

M.C. Abad, an ARF official, said North Korea's nuclear weapons program is among the areas the new group can examine as officials try to maintain momentum after the North shut down its Yongbyon reactor.

ARF earlier vowed to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency and other watchdogs to strengthen international nuclear and chemical safeguards and boost ARF members' national mechanisms against proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Thailand said it backs an ASEAN proposal to include a ban on unconstitutional regime changes in the charter despite a recent military coup. The bloodless coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last Sept. 19 has been seen as one of the recent setbacks to the march of democracy in the region.

"We have had glitches, we have had some difficulties on this road to democracy," Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram said. "But you will notice, please, that every time there has been a change, we've always come back to the same path."

ASEAN also signed an accord with Australia to bolster economic and security ties, which were at one time strained over Canberra's aggressive anti-terror stance.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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