Cambodia's ASEAN entry confirmed<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AFP): ASEAN's chairman Singapore confirmed last
\nSaturday that a special ceremony to admit Cambodia into the
\ngrouping will be held in Hanoi on April 30, finally unifying all
\n10 countries in the region.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar,
\nchairman of the standing committee of the Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the minister had formally
\ninvited Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong to attend the
\nceremony.<\/p>\n
\"The foreign minister of Cambodia has confirmed his attendance
\nat the ceremony,\" the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
In Phnom Penh, a close aide to Prime Minister Hun Sen -- who
\nhad lobbied hard for Cambodia's admission when he attended an
\nASEAN summit in the Vietnamese capital last December -- welcomed
\nthe Singapore announcement.<\/p>\n
\"This is a great step for ASEAN because it fulfills the
\nambition of the founders to extend cooperation in the region and
\nhighlights the new confidence the region has in Cambodia,\" the
\naide said.<\/p>\n
The announcement followed consultations by Vietnam with other
\nASEAN members following the group's December summit, during which
\nthe Vietnamese tried in earnest to convince the other members to
\nadmit Cambodia immediately.<\/p>\n
The April 30 ceremony will finally bring all 10 Southeast
\nAsian countries into the grouping, ending political divisions
\ndating back to the Cold War.<\/p>\n
ASEAN was founded in 1967. Its present members are Brunei,
\nIndonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,
\nThailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
Cambodia was supposed to have been admitted in July 1997 but
\npolitical infighting in Phnom Penh, which saw Hun Sen oust his
\nthen co-premier Prince Norodom Ranariddh, forced a postponement.<\/p>\n
The election of a new government led by Hun Sen last year
\npaved the way for admission.<\/p>\n
Some members including Singapore, however, insisted on the
\nformation of a senate for the new Cambodian parliament before
\nlifting all their objections to the country's full entry.<\/p>\n
ASEAN's next foreign ministers' meeting, including a security
\nforum to be attended by the world's leading military powers, will
\nbe held in Singapore in July.<\/p>\n
A Singapore-based diplomat from a key ASEAN member country
\ntold AFP that the admission of Cambodia was a victory for the
\n\"authoritarian\" wing in ASEAN, whose members range from
\nfreewheeling democracies like the Philippines and Thailand to
\narmy-ruled Myanmar and communist Vietnam.<\/p>\n
\"Definitely it strengthens the hand of the authoritarian wing
\nin ASEAN. The Philippines and Thailand will have to argue harder
\nto be heard,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"But that also depends on how Indonesia turns out. If the next
\ngovernment turns out to be more liberal, then it's going to even
\nout the equation because they're the biggest. But if Indonesia
\nturns farther to the right, then it's different,\" he added.<\/p>\n
In June Indonesia will hold its first national elections since
\nlast year's fall of veteran strongman Soeharto.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cambodias-asean-entry-confirmed-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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