ASEAN, CER sign accord on standards<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Economic ministers of the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and countries of the Australia-
\nNew Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER)
\nsigned here yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on
\ncooperation in standards and conformance of products.<\/p>\n
\"This is the first MOU between the two free trade areas, which
\nrepresents a considerable achievement in a short span of time,\"
\nIndonesian Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution
\nHartarto said after the second informal consultation meeting
\nbetween ASEAN and CER yesterday.<\/p>\n
Hartarto, who chaired the two regions' meeting jointly with
\nNew Zealand Minister for Trade Negotiations Philip Burdon, told
\nthe press that the MOU will provide a framework of cooperation on
\nstandards and conformance of products between the two regions.<\/p>\n
He said that during their consultative meeting, the ministers
\ndiscussed international economic issues, including those related
\nto the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia Pacific
\nEconomic Cooperation forum.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN and CER ministers reaffirmed their commitments to
\nthe multilateral trading system and the need to reinforce the
\nprocess of liberalization within the WTO framework.<\/p>\n
\"This has been the basis on which ministers decided to
\nestablish the linkages between our two free trade areas,
\nreflecting the open regionalism concept of the ASEAN Free Trade
\nArea (Afta) and CER,\" Hartarto said.<\/p>\n
He noted that trade between the two regions grew by 49.8
\npercent from only US$7.9 billion in 1990 to $15.8 billion last
\nyear. ASEAN bought about 14 percent of CER exports.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, who
\nis also a trade minister, told reporters yesterday that the
\neconomic ministers of the two regions agreed that the WTO
\nministerial meeting in Singapore should discuss only the core
\ntrade issues.<\/p>\n
\"We agree with the ASEAN approach to stick to the core trade
\nissues, particularly in relation to labor standards, which are
\nbest dealt with by the International Labor Organization,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Minister Burdon said that New Zealand also agreed with the
\nASEAN approach in the WTO.<\/p>\n
ASEAN -- which groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
\nPhilippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- strongly opposes
\nthe plan of the United States and a number of European countries
\nto raise non-trade issues, such as labor standards, corruption,
\nprocurement and competition policies, at the WTO's ministerial
\nmeeting in Singapore.<\/p>\n
ASEAN and CER ministers also expressed their concern over the
\nextraterritorial application of recent U.S. legislation which
\nimposes sanctions on countries or enterprises doing businesses
\nwith Cuba and several other countries.<\/p>\n
They also agreed that at their next consultative meeting in
\nMalaysia next September, they will hold a similar consultation
\nwith the representatives of the private sector from both regions.
\n(13)<\/p>\n
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