ASEAN rebuffs U.S. objections to treaty<\/p>\n
By Meidyatama Suryodiningrat<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (JP): ASEAN labeled as groundless yesterday the United
\nStates's refusal to support the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons
\nFree Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's Arizal Effendi, the foreign ministry's director of
\ninternational agreements, explained yesterday that none of the
\nconcerns put forth by Washington were valid.<\/p>\n
He said the U.S. was mainly concerned that members the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were trying to
\nexpand their territory through the SEANWFZ.<\/p>\n
U.S. concerns of \"gripping jurisdiction\" are a result of the
\nnuclear free zone, which is made up of each ASEAN member's
\ncontinental-shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone. It is feared that
\nthe zone will restrict the movement of U.S. warships, an
\naccusation Arizal denies.<\/p>\n
The U.S. State Department on Friday raised strong objections
\nto the SEANWFZ, stating that Washington would not sign the treaty
\nin its present form.<\/p>\n
The SEANWFZ promises to be the highlight of the fifth ASEAN
\nSummit, which begins on Thursday. Three southeast Asian heads of
\nstate -- Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar -- will also sign the treaty.<\/p>\n
The SEANWFZ confirms ASEAN's commitment not to produce or
\nacquire nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN Summit is being preceded by a two-day ministerial
\nmeeting which starts today.<\/p>\n
U.S. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said on Friday
\nthat SEANWFZ must not affect the rights of states as guaranteed
\nby international law along with the rights of passage to sea
\nlanes.<\/p>\n
Arizal contended that all these questions are already
\nguaranteed under SEANWFZ and pointed to Article II of the treaty,
\nwhich states that nothing in the treaty will prejudice the rights
\nof states under the provisions of the 1982 United Nations
\nConvention on Law of the Sea.<\/p>\n
He also noted that Article VII permits port calls by foreign
\nnaval ships.<\/p>\n
On the question of verification, which Washington has also
\nbrought up, Arizal maintained that during previous consultations
\nthe U.S. has never made it into an issue before.<\/p>\n
Separately, Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said upon
\nhis arrival in Bangkok yesterday that he could not understand
\nWashington's objections.<\/p>\n
\"I really don't know why there would be any difficulties,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Alatas remained confident that with further
\nconsultation the U.S. would rectify its objections.<\/p>\n
When asked by The Jakarta Post whether the U.S. move came as a
\nsurprise, Alatas said that it was not.<\/p>\n
\"From the start we knew there were some aspects which are
\nsensitive to them and we have tried to overcome these but
\napparently a few still remain,\" he said after arriving here with
\nCoordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto.<\/p>\n
Philippines's Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Rodolfo
\nSeverino yesterday afternoon also told Indonesian journalists
\nthat U.S. concerns that SEANWFZ will affect existing defense
\narrangements in the region were unsubstantiated.<\/p>\n
\"We believe that the treaty is compatible with the mutual
\ndefense treaty,\" he said of the defense pact between Manila and
\nWashington.<\/p>\n
Despite the reservations he was hopeful the U.S. would change
\nits position in the future. \"We hope that eventually they'll get
\non board,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Malaysian foreign minister Abdullah Badawi said
\nyesterday that ASEAN should just go ahead no matter what the U.S.
\nthinks.<\/p>\n
\"This our treaty, we have to do what we want,\" he said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-rebuffs-us-objections-to-treaty-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }