MINISTER Mentor Lee Kuan Yew is embarking on a 10-day trip to the United States, during which he will receive a lifetime achievement award from the US-Asean Business Council.

Mr Lee is the first recipient of the award, which recognises Asean's contribution to US economic security.

He will arrive in New York today before travelling to Washington, DC later this week, according to an official statement.

In New York, he will meet business leaders as well as members of the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think-tank.

In the US capital, he will be presented with the lifetime achievement award at a black-tie dinner next Tuesday.

'History will record few leaders who have accomplished so much for their country and for South-east Asia as His Excellency Lee Kuan Yew,' Mr Muhtar Kent, chairman of the US-Asean Business Council and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, said in a press statement.

'As a driving force behind the growth and evolution of Asean, Mr Lee also helped millions of people across South-east Asia to live in an environment of peace and economic growth.'

The event will be attended by top business leaders, as well as two influential US diplomats who have worked with MM Lee to build the US-Asean relationship - former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Schultz.

The US-Asean Business Council celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and counts among its members major companies like Intel, Chevron and General Electric.

A council spokesman said the lifetime achievement award would not be conferred annually, but only when it marks major anniversaries.

In Washington, DC, Mr Lee will meet several Cabinet members as well as key players in the Obama administration's economic team, including chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke and director of the National Economic Council Lawrence Summers.

He is also scheduled to meet World Bank chief Robert Zoellick and attend the JPMorgan Chase International Council's meeting next week.

-end of ST article