ASEAN cautious on East Timor membership

ASEAN cautious on East Timor membership

Chris Foley, Agence France-Presse, Singapore

East Timor's arrival as a sovereign state has bolstered its claim to a seat at the ASEAN table, but the 10-nation bloc faces deep soul-searching on whether to provide the extra chair.

As the world's newest nation, East Timor is eager for instant recognition at international forums and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has become an obvious and immediate target.

But ASEAN's desire to embrace the entire region in recent years has led to questions about its effectiveness and stinging accusations it was hamstrung by "institutional paralysis" because of its golden rule of consensus.

Myanmar, whose 1997 admission to ASEAN drew wide condemnation because of reported human rights abuses, most recently used the consensus requirement to block Dili from observer status when ASEAN foreign ministers met in February.

Ironically, Myanmar held out because of East Timorese leaders' "past dealings" with Myanmar opposition forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Three months later Myanmar released Aung San Suu Kyi from 19 months under house arrest.

Myanmar's ruling junta on Monday denied it had blocked observer status for East Timor and said it must simply follow procedures.

"It is not correct to say that Myanmar is objecting to the attainment of ASEAN observer status by East Timor," a junta spokesman said. "Our stand regarding East Timor's application is simply that it must follow set procedure.

"First, there must be consensus on the question. Next, there are certain steps and procedures to be followed before a nation can become an observer in ASEAN.

"These steps include the acceptance and adherence of the principles enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. "Therefore, East Timor must be in a position to fulfill its obligations."

East Timor has been given "guest" status for the July ASEAN Regional Forum in Brunei where its application will again be discussed, but Singapore Foreign Minister S. Jayakumar warned there would be no rushed decision.

"I believe it will proceed cautiously ... step by step," he said, adding ASEAN would like to focus more on consolidation before accepting new members.

There was also the issue of whether East Timor seriously wanted to be a member of ASEAN or was after quick access to member countries and international confirmation of its new status.

"There are competing voices within Dili, where there have been questions about the non-democratic tendencies of ASEAN," a Singapore-based political scientist specializing in ASEAN analysis told AFP.

East Timor had previously criticized ASEAN as being pro- Jakarta, ignoring the drive for self-determination, and failing to prevent Indonesian military-backed militias conducting a wave of violence and murder after the 1999 independence vote.

One of the biggest critics was Jose Ramos Horta, East Timor's new foreign minister and a now strident voice for ASEAN observer status now, and a full role in five years.

There were also problems with Indonesia, despite President Megawati Soekarnoputri attending the independence celebrations, the Singapore-based analyst said.

"Megawati's appearance at the flag-raising ceremony could be seen as (ASEAN membership being) a fait accompli, at least at a formal level.

"But some in the Indonesian military are not happy," he said.

The division in the existing ASEAN ranks was highlighted soon after East Timor made its intentions known in late 1999, when Cambodian leader Hun Sen reportedly said: "Some leaders do not want East Timor as part of ASEAN."

After Myanmar blocked the observer status request in February, a Filipino official said there had also been misgivings in ASEAN over the "political, administrative and logistical implications of East Timor's eventual membership".

East Timor is also keen to join the proposed West Pacific Forum (WPF) being considered by Indonesia and Australia, "as long as that does not mean exclusion from ASEAN", Horta said, adding that he had been told by some ASEAN countries, which he did not identify, that WPF membership would exclude East Timor from ASEAN.

Observer status, now enjoyed by Papua New Guinea, would allow East Timor to attend ASEAN's annual ministerial meetings and hold informal consultations with the group.

ASEAN, formed in 1967, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.