Highlights of ASEAN ministers' joint communique<\/p>\n
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Herewith highlights of the joint
\ncommunique issued by Association of Southeast Asian Nations
\n(ASEAN) foreign ministers at the end of their annual meeting
\nyesterday:<\/p>\n
On implementing the decisions of the first ASEAN informal
\nsummit in Jakarta last year, the foreign ministers:<\/p>\n
-- welcomed the admission of Burma and Laos, agreeing that a
\nfirm foundation for common action to promote regional cooperation
\nin Southeast Asia is being accomplished<\/p>\n
-- noted that celebrations for the 30th anniversary of ASEAN
\nwould be launched by Indonesian President Soeharto in Jakarta on
\nAugust 8, with the highlight being a commemorative ASEAN summit
\nin Kuala Lumpur in December with Chinese, Japanese and South
\nKorean leaders<\/p>\n
-- recommended that leaders of the five founding members --
\nIndonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand --
\nreceive special citations<\/p>\n
-- agreed to establish an ASEAN foundation through a
\nmemorandum of understanding to be signed in December.<\/p>\n
Regarding political and security cooperation, the ASEAN
\nministers:<\/p>\n
-- recognized the increasingly central role of ASEAN in
\nmaintaining regional peace and stability and underlined their
\ncommitment to work with the group's dialogue partners and other
\nmembers of the ASEAN Regional Forum<\/p>\n
-- called on nuclear weapon states to accede to the protocol
\nof the Southeast Asia Weapon Free Zone Treaty signed in 1995
\nwhile extending the mandate of a senior officials working group
\nto pursue consultations<\/p>\n
-- emphasized that cooperation between ASEAN and its dialogue
\npartners must be conducted on the basis of equality, mutual
\nrespect and mutual benefit<\/p>\n
-- expressed hope that the ASEAN Regional Forum would move
\nfrom confidence building to preventive diplomacy, welcoming
\nincreased interest by defense agencies in discussing security
\nissues while underlining the importance of maintaining an
\nevolutionary approach and taking decisions by consensus<\/p>\n
Cambodia<\/p>\n
On Cambodia, regional and international issues, the ministers:<\/p>\n
-- agreed to continue their efforts to help Cambodia find a
\npeaceful solution to the situation in the country, stressing
\nASEAN's commitment to the principle of non-interference of the
\ninternal affairs of other countries<\/p>\n
-- recalled and reiterated their statements dated 8th and 10th
\nJuly 1997 on the situation in Cambodia.<\/p>\n
-- took note of the new position expressed by Ung Huot, the
\nForeign Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, on behalf
\nof Second Prime Minister Hun Sen, that Cambodia welcomes ASEAN's
\nrole in helping to restore political stability in the country.<\/p>\n
-- agreed that, upon reconfirmation of this new position, the
\nASEAN Ministerial delegation comprising the Minister for Foreign
\nAffairs of Indonesia, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the
\nPhilippines and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand would
\ncontinue with its efforts to assist Cambodia to find a peaceful
\nresolution of the situation in that country.<\/p>\n
-- stressed ASEAN's commitment to the principle of non
\ninterference in the internal affairs of other countries. They
\nnoted that ASEAN had offered its good offices to Cambodia in the
\nlight of the recent unfortunate developments and in view of
\nCambodia's interest in joining ASEAN.<\/p>\n
-- expressed the hope that the situation in the country would
\nreturn to normalcy and that a solution could be found in the
\nspirit of the Paris Peace Accords.<\/p>\n
-- expressed regret that Cambodia could not be admitted into
\nASEAN at this stage due to the present circumstances in the
\ncountry, while reaffirming that Cambodia's Observer status at the
\nAMM remains unchanged.<\/p>\n
-- expressed the hope that a peaceful solution would soon be
\nfound so that Cambodia would be able to join ASEAN and fulfill
\nthe vision of an ASEAN community of 10 as envisaged by the
\nFounding Fathers of ASEAN.<\/p>\n
-- emphasized that several issues in the South China Sea
\nremain a source of concern and highlighted the importance of
\nexercising restraint<\/p>\n
-- welcomed recent developments on proposed four-party talks
\non the Korean peninsula, expressing hope for a permanent peace
\nand calling on the international community to help alleviate
\nNorth Korea's severe food crisis<\/p>\n
-- welcomed the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty,
\nexpressing the hope that links with ASEAN would be maintained and
\ncontinue to expand<\/p>\n
-- viewed with deep concern the current deadlock in the Middle
\nEast peace process, demanding that Israel "take steps for the
\nimmediate and full cessation" of the construction of a new
\nsettlement south of Jerusalem<\/p>\n
-- called upon all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to fully
\nimplement the Dayton Peace Agreement, deploring the fact that
\nmany indicted war criminals had still not been apprehended<\/p>\n
-- reaffirmed that the Non-Aligned Movement remained valid and
\nrelevant under current circumstances, emphasizing its importance
\nas a cohesive force and a major forum for consultations among
\ndeveloping countries<\/p>\n
-- emphasized that additional permanent members of the UN
\nSecurity Council should include developing regions of Asia,
\nAfrica and Latin America along with industrialized countries,
\nenjoying the same rights as current permanent members with the
\nuse of veto curtailed and eventually eliminated<\/p>\n
-- called for the start of negotiations on a phased program to
\neliminate nuclear weapons, emphasizing the importance of the
\nNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and calling on all states to
\nfulfill their obligations<\/p>\n
Economic<\/p>\n
In the area of economic cooperation, the ASEAN foreign
\nministers<\/p>\n
-- noted that nearly 91 percent of all tariff lines had been
\nincluded in the common effective preferential tariff scheme for
\nthe ASEAN Free Trade Area by the fifth year of implementation
\nahead of the 2003 deadline<\/p>\n
-- emphasized the need to eliminate non-tariff barriers<\/p>\n
-- reiterated their commitment to open regionalism and a rule-
\nbased multilateral trading system<\/p>\n
-- expressed satisfaction with progress achieved in other
\nareas such as intellectual property, industry, services,
\ntransport and communications, minerals and energy and finance and
\nbanking<\/p>\n
-- applauded intensified cooperation in investment including
\nprogress in an action plan on foreign direct investment and
\nintra-ASEAN investment<\/p>\n
-- appreciated concrete steps to develop the ASEAN-Mekong
\nBasin Development Cooperation Framework<\/p>\n
-- strongly affirmed their commitment to the Singapore
\nministerial conference of the WTO and fully implementing the
\nUruguay Round<\/p>\n
-- expressed concern over the emerging trend in countries
\noutside the region to impose trade sanctions on the basis of
\nalleged human rights violations and non-trade related issues<\/p>\n
-- reiterated full support for Vietnam's admission to the WTO<\/p>\n
-- attached high priority to a high-level meeting of least-
\ndeveloped countries in Geneva in October<\/p>\n
-- expressed serious concerns over well coordinated efforts to
\nstabilize ASEAN currencies, calling for further intensification
\nof cooperation to safeguard and promote ASEAN's interests<\/p>\n
-- expressed the hope that the proposed East Asian Economic
\nCaucus would soon be "formally instituted" for the benefit of its
\nmembers<\/p>\n
-- lauded efforts by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
\n(APEC) forum in forging meaningful liberalization undertakings
\nand economic cooperation<\/p>\n
-- expressed the hope that APEC's framework for economic
\ndevelopment cooperation year could generate focussed and measured
\noutcomes<\/p>\n
-- reiterated their full support for Vietnam's admission to
\nAPEC<\/p>\n
-- agreed to support an early elaboration of an Asia-Europe
\nCooperation Framework and expressed pleasure at the growing
\nnumber of Asia-Europe initiatives<\/p>\n
-- expressed support for a Singapore-based Asia-Europe
\nFoundation launched in February and a proposed Asia-Europe Vision
\nGroup next year while welcoming initiatives to bring the public
\nand private sectors together.<\/p>\n
Cooperation<\/p>\n
In the field of functional cooperation, the ministers:<\/p>\n
-- called for advanced development of flagship projects in
\nsuch areas as science and technology, environment, culture and
\ninformation, social development and drugs and narcotics control<\/p>\n
-- agreed to launch an ASEAN Award for individuals and
\norganizations, to be conferred every three years at ASEAN summits
\nstarting next year<\/p>\n
-- stressed the need to protect biological diversity and
\nnatural resources, supporting efforts to set up an ASEAN Regional
\nCenter for Biodiversity Conservation in the Philippines this year<\/p>\n
-- urged that new approaches in science and technology
\ncooperation be intensified including the development of
\nindigenous capabilities and greater collaboration between the
\npublic and private sectors<\/p>\n
-- encouraged special emphasis to be given to youth in
\ndeveloping information networks and studies to develop an ASEAN
\nsatellite channel.<\/p>\n
-- welcomed the WTO agreement on core labor standards
\nrecognizing the International Labor Organization as the competent
\nbody dealing with such standards, reiterating that trade access
\nnot be linked to worker conditions or the level of implementation
\nof labor standards<\/p>\n
In other areas, the ASEAN ministers:<\/p>\n
-- called on ASEAN's dialog partners to accord equal priority
\nto trade, investment, market access, technology transfer, science
\nand technology, culture and information, environment and social
\ndevelopment, stressing the need for further cooperation in
\ncombating terrorism, trafficking of people, illicit drugs and
\narms, piracy and communicable diseases.<\/p>\n
-- stressed the need for additional funding to finance
\nincreased development assistance in the wake of new members being
\nadmitted<\/p>\n
-- noted meetings with China, India and Russia as new dialogue
\npartners and the establishment of sectoral dialogue relations
\nwith Pakistan<\/p>\n
-- called for strengthened ties with other regional
\norganizations including the Economic Cooperation Organization
\n(ECHO), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) the Central American
\nStates, the Rio Group and the South Pacific Forum.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/highlights-of-asean-ministers-joint-communique-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}