Southeast Asian MPs vow to fight terrorism<\/p>\n
Ben Rowse, Agence France-Presse, Hanoi<\/p>\n
Southeast Asian parliamentarians pledged to fight terrorism on
\nWednesday on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, but
\nsaid they were opposed to unprovoked military action against
\nIraq.<\/p>\n
In a joint communique adopted at the end of the 23rd general
\nassembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization (AIPO) in
\nthe Vietnamese capital, legislators said further strides were
\nneeded to tackle terrorism.<\/p>\n
\"The Assembly reiterated ASEAN's commitment to countering
\nterrorist acts in all forms and manifestations in accordance with
\nthe United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of
\ninternational law,\" it said.<\/p>\n
However, the parliamentarians stressed that counter-terrorism
\npolicies had to go hand in hand with \"measures aimed at tackling
\nthe issue of poverty, inequality and discrimination\".<\/p>\n
Critics of the U.S.-led war against terrorism have accused
\nWashington and its allies of ignoring the fundamental problems of
\nglobal inequality and perceived injustices, which they say prompt
\npeople to turn to violence.<\/p>\n
The regional parliamentarians also reiterated their opposition
\nto \"any unilateral decision to launch unjustified and unprovoked
\nmilitary actions on the state of Iraq\".<\/p>\n
\"The Assembly emphasized the urgent need for a peaceful
\nsolution to this matter and called upon the United Nations to
\ncontinue to be engaged with this issue with a view to achieving
\ndurable peace in the region.\"<\/p>\n
They urged the international community to address the
\n\"humanitarian dimension of suffering and tragedies, emanating
\nfrom the prolonged sanctions on Iraq\" and said the United Nations
\nshould reconsider the embargo.<\/p>\n
The United States, which says Iraq is harboring weapons of
\nmass destruction, has stepped up efforts to seek foreign backing
\nfor a strike against Baghdad by promising to give diplomacy one
\nlast chance.<\/p>\n
However, its hardline stance has met strong international
\nopposition, including from Russia, France, Germany and across the
\nArab world.<\/p>\n
The AIPO delegates also recognized the \"serious threat posed
\nby transnational crimes to peace, security and stability\" in the
\nregion and vowed to strengthen cooperation to tackle drug
\nproduction, piracy and the trafficking of women and children.<\/p>\n
Among other initiatives, they said negotiations to resolve
\nterritorial disputes in the South China Sea needed to continue
\nunabated.<\/p>\n
Four ASEAN nations -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and
\nVietnam -- as well as China and Taiwan have laid claims to the
\npotentially oil-rich Spratly islands, which lie along vital
\nshipping lanes.<\/p>\n
Historical foes Vietnam and China are also vying for the
\nParacels, another chain in the South China Sea lying 300
\nkilometers (180 miles) north of the Spratlys.<\/p>\n
Turning to economic matters, the parliamentarians stressed the
\nvulnerability of developing nations to the adverse effects of
\nglobalization and the need for free and fair trade.<\/p>\n
The communique urged AIPO member parliaments to establish a
\nlegal framework to complement the tariff-slashing ASEAN Free
\nTrade Agreement (AFTA), which it described as the \"engine room
\nfor regional economic development\".<\/p>\n
The meeting of AIPO, which opened on Monday, comprises the
\neight states with parliaments from the 10-member Association of
\nSoutheast Asian Nations -- Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nthe Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>\n
The other two ASEAN members, Brunei and Myanmar, have no
\nlegislatures but attended the meeting as dialogue partners.<\/p>\n
Nine countries and delegations outside the grouping, including
\nAustralia, Canada, China, the European Union, Japan and New
\nZealand, were invited as observers.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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