ASEAN agrees to empower regional security option

ASEAN agrees to empower regional security option

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is to commence
building a regional security community, and while member
countries agreed to set a new benchmark for the cooperation, the
road ahead may prove bumpy.

In the draft action plan for the upcoming ASEAN Ministerial
Meeting (AMM), the regional grouping agreed to be more frank in
discussing their domestic political issues and to make concerted
efforts in addressing security problems.

"We agreed to empower regional options in dealing with various
political and security issues within the region," foreign
ministry spokesman and director general of ASEAN cooperation
Marty Natalegawa said on Monday.

In the 37th AMM on June 30, foreign ministers of ASEAN member
states are to discuss and formulate a set of concrete actions to
establish a regional security mechanism.

Among its key issues, the ministers are slated to reach an
agreement on peacekeeping measures should a conflict situation
arise between member countries.

The draft also includes a plan for education and training in
human rights as a lead-up to establishing an ASEAN human rights
commission in the future.

In addition, a discussion is planned on the declaration of an
ASEAN Charter, in which all member countries agreed not just to
be a good neighbor, but also a partner in maintaining peace in
the region.

Marty noted the action plan received cautious support, a far
less enthusiastic response than that for the original proposal by
Indonesia, with most member countries underlining that the
security community should not trespass their sovereignty.

"The approved draft action plan contains far less than the
original document we prepared, but we appreciate member
countries' agreeing that the points can be exhausted in future,"
Marty said.

The ASEAN Security Community (ASC) concept was proposed by
Indonesia last year at a ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh, when
the country took over the rotating chairmanship of the regional
grouping.

The concept broaches sensitive political and security issues
with an aim to open ASEAN countries to discussing and solving all
regional problems.

The original action plan proposed by Indonesia suggested the
formation of an ASEAN peacekeeping force and human rights
commission, and making a united effort against corruption.

Under the banner of political development, Indonesia also
proposed open discussions among member countries on their
respective political situations.

Marty said the original plan met with huge challenges from
member countries, with some commenting that it was more like a
solution to nonexistent problems, as so far, no serious political
constellation has formed among ASEAN members.

"Some said Indonesia was trying to impose its way among ASEAN
countries and was being a busybody for suggesting it," he said.

But after a year of discussions, senior officials of member
countries were ready to accept that a security community -- along
with an economic community and a cultural community -- were among
those necessary pillars to build a stronger ASEAN by 2020.

During the coming summit, Indonesia will host dozens of other
ministerial gatherings -- not just from ASEAN, but also from its
dialog partners, including United States Secretary of State Colin
Powell at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

"We are all aware that the ongoing situation in Myanmar, the
Korean Peninsula and Iraq will be in the air at the meeting,"
Marty said.

ASEAN has yet to issue a unified stance on the planned
handover of Iraq authority, while the regional issues of
democratization in Myanmar and the nuclear crisis on Korean
Peninsula have yet to see any development since the ARF meeting
last year in Phnom Penh.