ASEAN discounts E. Timor membership<\/p>\n
Dow Jones, Bandar Seri Begawan<\/p>\n
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has ruled out
\nimmediate membership for East Timor, the world's newest country,
\nofficials said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
ASEAN foreign ministers, meeting at an informal dinner Monday,
\ndiscussed bringing in East Timor as the 11th member of the
\nregional grouping but could not reach a consensus.<\/p>\n
Officials who were present, speaking on condition of
\nanonymity, said that there was a prevailing view that East Timor
\nwas in ASEAN's \"geographical footprint\" and would eventually
\nbecome a member.<\/p>\n
The country would be an observer to ASEAN \"for a certain
\nperiod of time,\" one official said.<\/p>\n
East Timor formally became a nation in May after two years of
\nUN administration following a quarter-century of often brutal
\nrule by the largest member of ASEAN, Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Rodolfo Severino, who steps down as ASEAN secretary-general
\nlater this year, said that the organization's foreign ministers
\ncould discuss the issue again at their annual gathering in
\nCambodia next year.<\/p>\n
As an observer at this year's meeting in Brunei, East Timor
\nhas forged bilateral diplomatic relations with Vietnam, Cambodia
\nand Laos.<\/p>\n
A communique issued Tuesday included a statement saying that
\nASEAN was \"prepared to engage East Timor in the long-term.\"
\nEast Timor has said it currently lacks the money to attend
\nASEAN's large number of meetings.<\/p>\n
The organization's wealthier members - Brunei, Indonesia,
\nMalaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - already
\nprovide funds to help the poorer ones - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
\nand Vietnam - cope with the heavy diplomatic schedule.<\/p>\n
East Timor has been ambivalent about ASEAN, which stood by
\nwhen Indonesia invaded in 1976 as the half-island was obtaining
\nindependence from Portugal.<\/p>\n
ASEAN was also slow to respond to a rampage by Indonesian
\ntroops that devastated East Timor in 1999, when it voted for
\nindependence in a UN-sponsored ballot.<\/p>\n
The arrival of thousands of Australian-led peacekeepers to
\nrestore order was seen as an embarrassment to ASEAN, though
\nThailand eventually committed substantial numbers of troops.<\/p>",
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