Asian talks focus on regional security<\/p>\n
BANGKOK (Reuters): Southeast and north Asia took a step
\ntowards forming what could be a powerful regional bloc as the
\npresence of North Korea at landmark talks put the spotlight
\nfirmly on security.<\/p>\n
North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun joined his
\ncounterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
\nNations (ASEAN), Japan, China and South Korea for the first time
\nin a series of meetings on wide-ranging cooperation.<\/p>\n
Paek was mobbed by reporters as he met Thai Foreign Minister
\nSurin Pitsuwan and seemed overwhelmed by the rowdy reception.<\/p>\n
\"You'd better get used to this,\" said Surin, as a huge crowd
\nof photographers, cameramen and reporters pressed in around them.<\/p>\n
\"The fact that he has agreed to join us is a big step forward
\nfor security and diplomacy in the region,\" Surin told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"Not only the Asia-Pacific region but the whole of the world
\nwill benefit\" from the end of North Korea's isolation, he said.<\/p>\n
The two men were meeting on the sidelines of the first formal
\ngathering of foreign ministers from the group, known as ASEAN+3.<\/p>\n
The region has been inching towards a trading bloc in recent
\nyears and has agreed a string of financial initiatives to bolster
\nits currencies and reduce tariff barriers.<\/p>\n
Hit by recession in 1997 after the devaluation of the Thai
\nbaht sparked a regionwide currency meltdown, finance ministers
\nhave already signed a pact to pool foreign reserves in the event
\nof speculative attack on foreign exchange markets.<\/p>\n
ASEAN -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
\nthe Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- is also in
\nthe process of creating a free-trade zone that they hope will
\nalso be extended eventually to north Asia.<\/p>\n
Focus<\/p>\n
But Wednesday's meeting added a political dimension and North
\nKorea's attendance has put the focus firmly on security. North
\nKorea has emerged from five decades of isolation over the last
\nyear and saw a historic summit between North Korean leader Kim
\nJong-il and South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung in June.<\/p>\n
And the Bangkok talks mark the first time the North Korean
\nforeign minister will meet his counterparts from South Korea,
\nJapan and the United States.<\/p>\n
Cash-strapped Pyongyang is embarking on a diplomatic offensive
\nto improve ties with its neighbors and try to rescue its economy,
\nruined by neglect and central planning.<\/p>\n
But Seoul, Tokyo and Washington want Pyongyang to abandon a
\nmissile program that has caused jitters in Asia. North Korea told
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin last week it would scrap its
\nmissile program in exchange for help in exploring space.<\/p>\n
The United States is deciding whether to proceed with a multi-
\nbillion dollar National Missile Defense system to ward off
\nattacks by small states not party to international treaties, such
\nas North Korea. China and Russia have attacked the U.S. plan.<\/p>\n
Beijing, which argues North Korea's diplomatic opening has
\nmade the anti-missile umbrella unnecessary, has said it would
\npress its opposition to the U.S. scheme at two days of ASEAN
\nRegional Forum (ARF) talks due to begin on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the U.S.
\nproposed missile defense scheme \"isn't an offense system and it
\nsimply reflects the concern about the development of ballistic
\ncapability in certain countries -- and not China and not Russia\".<\/p>\n
Also at the ARF, a consultative grouping of 37 Asian and other
\nnations, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is expected
\nto hold an unprecedented meeting with the North Korean foreign
\nminister.<\/p>\n
Downer told reporters the whole of Asia also needed dialog
\nwith North Korea.<\/p>\n
\"It gives the ASEAN Regional Forum a good deal more
\ncredibility to have a country in it which is part of the Asia-
\nPacific region but which frankly has been a concern to the
\nsecurity structure of the Asia-Pacific region,\" he said.<\/p>\n
New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff said he hoped the ARF
\nwould develop \"from a confidence building exercise into
\npreventive diplomacy and ultimately conflict resolution\".<\/p>\n
\"After 50 years of isolation, the time has come for a process
\nof engagement with North Korea,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asian-talks-focus-on-regional-security-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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