ASEAN looks to post-Saddam world<\/p>\n
Jane Macartney, Reuters, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian nations, split over imminent war in Iraq, agreed
\non Wednesday to join forces to avert reprisal attacks by
\nextremists in their region and to offer humanitarian assistance
\nto a post-war Iraq.<\/p>\n
Foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of South East
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) cut short a two-day annual retreat at a
\nsecluded resort in Malaysia's Sabah state to fly home as
\nPresident George W. Bush's 48-hour ultimatum to Iraq expires.<\/p>\n
\"We are not trying to find a consensus,\" said Malaysian
\nForeign Minister Syed Hamid Albar as he arrived for the day-long
\nretreat on Borneo island.<\/p>\n
The aim of the meeting was to compare positions on Iraq as
\nwell as on North Korea and to show support for the U.N. process,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
ASEAN members range from Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim
\ncountry, to tiny communist Laos and the prosperous city state of
\nSingapore. Their positions on the war vary greatly.<\/p>\n
\"If this war is seen as unjust, it could create a lot of anger
\nand encourage people to take extreme positions,\" Syed Hamid told
\na closing news conference, adding that threats by Iraqi President
\nSaddam Hussein to take the war to the world should not be taken
\nlightly.<\/p>\n
\"I will not be surprised if the repercussion is an increase in
\nextreme activities,\" he said. The region is home to 250 million
\nMuslims and considerable militant activity.<\/p>\n
A bomb attack on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last
\nOctober, which has been blamed on a pan-Asian radical Muslim
\nnetwork, killed about 200 people.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN nations, which boast some of the most dynamic
\neconomies in Asia and whose biggest single trading partner is the
\nUnited States, said they had agreed on the immediate need to
\nstudy what Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong described as
\nthe \"very, very serious consequences\" of war on their economies.<\/p>\n
These countries, frequently divided by different priorities
\nand interests, will tread a delicate path over war in Iraq to
\nmaintain ties with the United States without alienating their
\nlarge Muslim populations, senior officials said.<\/p>\n
Further complicating their position are concerns over the
\npotential for more deadly attacks by Islamic militants and the
\nimpact of high oil prices.<\/p>\n
\"What will be the implications of a war that could be
\nexploited by terrorists and by extremists in the region?\" said
\nSingapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar, whose country's stand
\nhas been among the closest in the region to that of the United
\nStates.<\/p>\n
Last October's Bali bombings prompted countries in the region
\nto look at their security and to work to win the hearts and minds
\nof their people away from militancy, officials said.<\/p>\n
The meeting agreed on the need to help the people of Iraq.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN should play a role in providing humanitarian assistance
\nto Iraq, especially after the war, in order to help prevent a
\nhumanitarian disaster,\" said the Cambodian minister.<\/p>\n
Differences between the neighbors over war were underscored by
\nMalaysia and Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"This is not a question of support for Iraq or of being anti-
\nAmerican. We want to look at principles and the U.N. process,\"
\nsaid Syed Hamid. However, he was careful after the meeting not to
\ncriticize the United States directly, urging civil action instead
\nto call for peace.<\/p>\n
His Singaporean counterpart took a different position.<\/p>\n
\"Does it serve the interests of the international community
\nand does it serve the interests of international stability for
\nthere to be inaction?\" Jayakumar said. \"Or is it better that
\nprompt and immediate action be taken for the disarmament of
\nIraq?\"<\/p>\n
While ASEAN had never sought a consensus on Iraq and expected
\nits statements to be interpreted by Washington as playing to huge
\nMuslim domestic audiences, some members were likely to offer
\nquiet support, such as helping with passage of personnel, ships
\nand aircraft.<\/p>\n
Indonesia and mostly Muslim Malaysia are firmly against any
\nU.S. attack on Iraq. They are worried anger among their people
\nmay lead to more militancy in a region where Osama bin Laden's
\nal-Qaeda network has already established ties with local groups
\nand is suspected of plotting the Bali bombings.<\/p>\n
The United States can count on greater support from staunch
\nallies Singapore and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The other ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar,
\nThailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Also high on the agenda was North Korea, bracketed by U.S.
\nPresident George W. Bush with Iraq and Iran in an \"axis of evil\".<\/p>\n
ASEAN members pledged to use their Regional Forum security
\nmeeting in June, attended by North Korea and the United States,
\nas an opportunity to bring the two together while finessing
\nPyongyang's demand for bilateral talks to resolve the nuclear
\ncrisis and U.S. insistence on a multilateral meeting.<\/p>\n
\"Iraq and North Korea are paramount,\" said Syed Hamid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-looks-to-post-saddam-world-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }