AIPO confirms support for government plans
AIPO confirms support for government plans
By Dwi Atmanta
DENPASAR (JP): The 18th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary
Organization (AIPO) conference ended yesterday with fresh support
for ASEAN governments to form common policies.
The signing of a 42-point joint communique on political,
security, economic, social and organizational matters marked the
closing ceremony presided over by outgoing AIPO president,
Wahono.
The chairman of the assembly's working committee, Theo
Sambuaga, said after the ceremony the joint communique
represented the people in ASEAN countries' full support in their
respective governments.
"AIPO is always committed to promoting cooperation and
participation among the people of ASEAN member countries," Theo
said.
Theo is also a member of Indonesia's House of Representatives
Inter-parliamentary cooperation body.
During the closing ceremony, Wahono handed over his post to
Malaysian parliamentary chairman Tan Sri Dato Mohamed Zahir
Ismail.
Malaysia will host the next AIPO in August next year.
The assembly recognized in its joint-communique on political
and security matters that diplomatic initiatives and cooperation
were more effective in attaining regional security than
competitions for power and military alliances.
The conference supported ASEAN's efforts to help restore
political stability in Cambodia.
AIPO also refused to use any kind of foreign intervention,
especially anything coercive like an economic embargo.
The assembly reaffirmed the ratification of a code of conduct
for operations the South China Sea, advocated discussions on the
law of the sea between eminent ASEAN representatives and their
Chinese counterparts.
AIPO said ASEAN countries needed to hold meetings on the sea
and called on all states concerned to examine the option of
declaring sea islets demilitarized zones.
The assembly called on the international community to ban
antipersonnel land mines; to continue negotiations on the nuclear
nonproliferation and comprehensive test ban treaties and to
support peace initiatives on the Korean peninsula.
It also strongly urged Israel to revoke its declaration naming
Jerusalem as its capital and the U.S. Congress to revoke a
resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital of
Israel.
AIPO called on the United Nations and the world community to
put pressure on Israel to comply with all international
agreements.
Markets
The assembly, in response to the recent turmoil in the
region's foreign exchange markets, authorized the Philippine
National Group to conduct further studies and host an ad-hoc
committee to discuss measures to strengthen and to improve ASEAN
cooperative arrangements in financial markets.
It said existing cooperation measures among ASEAN economies to
stabilize financial markets were not enough.
"ASEAN must work closely to protect its interest against
manipulation in financial markets," the statement says.
ASEAN central banks signed July 25 an agreement renewing a
currency swap accord allowing member countries in need of
liquidity to exchange its local currency for U.S. dollars
provided by other members. The agreement took effect Aug. 5.
AIPO rejected any attempts to link social issues, including
labor standards, human rights and democratization, to
international trade and investment agreements set out in the
World Trade Organization.
By Dwi Atmanta
DENPASAR (JP): The 18th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary
Organization (AIPO) conference ended yesterday with fresh support
for ASEAN governments to form common policies.
The signing of a 42-point joint communique on political,
security, economic, social and organizational matters marked the
closing ceremony presided over by outgoing AIPO president,
Wahono.
The chairman of the assembly's working committee, Theo
Sambuaga, said after the ceremony the joint communique
represented the people in ASEAN countries' full support in their
respective governments.
"AIPO is always committed to promoting cooperation and
participation among the people of ASEAN member countries," Theo
said.
Theo is also a member of Indonesia's House of Representatives
Inter-parliamentary cooperation body.
During the closing ceremony, Wahono handed over his post to
Malaysian parliamentary chairman Tan Sri Dato Mohamed Zahir
Ismail.
Malaysia will host the next AIPO in August next year.
The assembly recognized in its joint-communique on political
and security matters that diplomatic initiatives and cooperation
were more effective in attaining regional security than
competitions for power and military alliances.
The conference supported ASEAN's efforts to help restore
political stability in Cambodia.
AIPO also refused to use any kind of foreign intervention,
especially anything coercive like an economic embargo.
The assembly reaffirmed the ratification of a code of conduct
for operations the South China Sea, advocated discussions on the
law of the sea between eminent ASEAN representatives and their
Chinese counterparts.
AIPO said ASEAN countries needed to hold meetings on the sea
and called on all states concerned to examine the option of
declaring sea islets demilitarized zones.
The assembly called on the international community to ban
antipersonnel land mines; to continue negotiations on the nuclear
nonproliferation and comprehensive test ban treaties and to
support peace initiatives on the Korean peninsula.
It also strongly urged Israel to revoke its declaration naming
Jerusalem as its capital and the U.S. Congress to revoke a
resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital of
Israel.
AIPO called on the United Nations and the world community to
put pressure on Israel to comply with all international
agreements.
Markets
The assembly, in response to the recent turmoil in the
region's foreign exchange markets, authorized the Philippine
National Group to conduct further studies and host an ad-hoc
committee to discuss measures to strengthen and to improve ASEAN
cooperative arrangements in financial markets.
It said existing cooperation measures among ASEAN economies to
stabilize financial markets were not enough.
"ASEAN must work closely to protect its interest against
manipulation in financial markets," the statement says.
ASEAN central banks signed July 25 an agreement renewing a
currency swap accord allowing member countries in need of
liquidity to exchange its local currency for U.S. dollars
provided by other members. The agreement took effect Aug. 5.
AIPO rejected any attempts to link social issues, including
labor standards, human rights and democratization, to
international trade and investment agreements set out in the
World Trade Organization.