The ASEAN meetings<\/p>\n
This week is a very busy one for the 29-year-old Association
\nof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It started last Tuesday, with
\nthe senior officials' talks to prepare for the meeting of foreign
\nministers over the weekend. The series of conferences is to be
\ncapped this week with dialogs between ASEAN and 28 developing
\ncountries and developed countries. The dialog partners comprise
\nof seven developing countries -- Papua New Guinea, Cambodia,
\nLaos, Myanmar, Russia, China and India -- and 21 developed
\ncountries -- the 15 member-European Union, Australia, Canada,
\nJapan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States.<\/p>\n
The number and variety of the countries taking part in the
\nannual ASEAN meetings, which cover economic, political and
\nsecurity issues, clearly shows the increasing international
\nrecognition of ASEAN's role in the peace, stability and dynamism
\nof Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
A notable development in this year's meetings is the first
\nparticipation of Myanmar as an observer in the ASEAN Ministerial
\nMeeting and the first presence of India, from South Asia, China
\nand Russia as full dialog partners.<\/p>\n
The admission of Myanmar as an observer -- to strong
\ncriticisms by several of the participating developed countries --
\nis part of ASEAN's ongoing constructive-engagement process to
\neventually group all 10 countries in the Southeast Asian region.
\nCambodia and Laos are expected to join next year and Myanmar to
\nfollow in 1998.<\/p>\n
The three new members will certainly increase the strains on
\nthe process of decision-making and consensus-building within
\nASEAN, which even now has often been criticized for holding so
\nmany meetings of numerous levels (more than 250 a year).
\nNonetheless, the admission of the three countries, whose economic
\ndevelopment levels are still below those of the current seven
\nmembers, is quite strategic for the promotion of peace, stability
\nand welfare in the region. Their joining ASEAN will bind them to
\nthe association's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast
\nAsia, thereby contributing to the region's security and
\nstability, which, in turn, will facilitate and sustain economic
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
It is encouraging to note that the ASEAN ministers, as their
\njoint communique shows, devoted more attention to concrete
\nmatters and issues of more significance to the grouping's
\nobjective of sharing prosperity through economic cooperation and
\nintegration. Notably through the ASEAN Free Trade Area and
\nfunctional cooperation in the development of human resources,
\nscience and technology, education and in the control of drug
\nabuse and HIV\/AIDS.<\/p>\n
Also of great significance is the stronger common stand forged
\nby ASEAN against the inclusion of nontrade-related issues, such
\nas corruption and labor standards, in the agenda of the first
\nministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in
\nSingapore in mid-December. The tone was set by President
\nSoeharto, who devoted a great deal of his opening address at the
\nministerial meeting to the agenda of the forthcoming WTO meeting.<\/p>\n
He expressed concern over the attempt by some developed
\ncountries to sidetrack the deliberations in Singapore so that the
\nfocus of the agenda would be on issues unrelated to trade. Trade
\nis vital to sustaining high economic growth in ASEAN countries,
\nwhich has been averaging at a respectable rate of 7 percent over
\nthe last five years. Trade is also one of the most effective
\nmeans of forging links between the economies of the 10 Southeast
\nAsian countries. Such links will prevent divisions of Southeast
\nAsian countries into rich and poor ones.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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