ASEAN draft communique in progress<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Senior officials of the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) began finalizing the draft of the joint
\ncommunique to be issued at a ministerial meeting here this
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the senior officials meeting, Indonesia's
\nIzhar Ibrahim, said yesterday that delegates at their afternoon
\nsession had begun combining the document's two sections -- the
\npolitical and non-political copies -- into a single draft for
\nadoption by the ministers.<\/p>\n
Izhar would not reveal the contents of the communique, but
\nsaid the political section contained \"traditional subjects\" of
\npolitical cooperation, along with topics pertaining to both
\nregional and global issues.<\/p>\n
The senior officials gathered yesterday for the opening day of
\na two-day meeting to prepare for Saturday's ASEAN Ministerial
\nMeeting.<\/p>\n
The ministerial meeting will conclude on Sunday with the
\nadoption of a joint communique which covers a variety of
\npolitical and economic issues.<\/p>\n
ASEAN comprises Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
\nSingapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Separately, delegates revealed that the joint communique will
\nnote their acceptance of applications from Cambodia and Laos as
\nnew members and Myanmar as an observer in ASEAN.<\/p>\n
Cambodia and Laos have stated their desire to formally join
\nASEAN next year.<\/p>\n
No mention of the domestic political situation in Myanmar will
\nbe made in the communique. Izhar earlier said \"there is no
\nmention of the internal issue of Myanmar\".<\/p>\n
The focus on Myanmar is expected to continue as ministers host
\nthe ASEAN Regional Forum here (ARF) on Tuesday. The ARF is a
\nconsultative forum which brings together ASEAN and their various
\ndialog partners such as Australia, Canada and the United States.<\/p>\n
ASEAN has continued to maintain a constructive engagement with
\nMyanmar, despite the West's strong criticism of Yangon's human
\nrights record.<\/p>\n
On the progress of the ARF, the communique is expected to note
\nthe ministers' satisfaction at its progress and stress that ASEAN
\nmust continue to be the driving force in the 21-member forum.<\/p>\n
Ministers are also expected to underline the need to establish
\na criteria for new ASEAN dialog partners.<\/p>\n
Other regional issues likely to be contained in the communique
\nare the overlapping claims in the South China Sea and calls for
\nthe resumption of talks between Seoul and Pyongyang. Reference
\nwill also be made to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development
\nOrganization (KEDO).<\/p>\n
Izhar said that Indonesia, for the second consecutive year,
\nwill contribute US$325,000 to KEDO. He added that other ASEAN
\nmembers have also expressed interest in contributing.<\/p>\n
On global issues, the communique will likely continue to
\nstress ASEAN's concern for disarmament and nuclear non-
\nproliferation. Reference will also be made to the importance of
\nconcluding the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which is now under
\nnegotiation.<\/p>\n
Another delegate at the meeting said that ASEAN ministers will
\nalso underline the importance of functional cooperation, as did
\ntheir leaders in last year's summit in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
ASEAN ministers are expected to promote cooperation that
\nhighlights the environment, culture, science and technology and
\nsocial development.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas will address the senior
\nofficials at their closing session today.<\/p>\n
Several foreign ministers are also scheduled to begin arriving
\ntoday for Saturday's ministerial meeting.<\/p>\n
Brunei's Mohammad Bolkiah is scheduled to arrive this morning,
\nwhile the Cambodian, Laotian and Myanmarese foreign ministers are
\nexpected to arrive later this afternoon. (mds)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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