ASEAN countries meet to discuss tough issues
ASEAN countries meet to discuss tough issues
MANILA (DPA): Top Southeast Asian officials and their major trading partners gathered in Manila yesterday in hopes of mitigating the region's economic crisis, averting further nuclear tests and promoting an honest election in Cambodia.
Moves to motivate Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to criticize each other, cooperate in curbing transnational crimes and environmental havoc round out the top issues confronting the 31st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and accompanying sessions from July 21-29.
"The present financial crisis will have a profound effect not only on Asian economies, but on global economic growth as well," predicted Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon.
With Japan's weak yen elevating the regional contagion to a global concern, the nine ASEAN members were expected to call on the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialized countries for more help.
The crisis has ravaged many Asian currencies, prompted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to dish out more than 100 billion dollars in rescue funds. It has left millions jobless and reduced the capability of governments to provide basic services.
The nine-day conference begins with a meeting of ASEAN senior officials July 21-22, followed by the ministerial meeting July 24-25, the ASEAN Regional Forum July 27 and the post ministerial conference July 28-29.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Its dialogue partners include the United States, the European Union, Japan, Russia, Australia, Canada, China, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.
With a parliamentary election scheduled in Cambodia for July 26, ASEAN diplomats have said free, fair and credible polls there will speed up the country's admission into the regional grouping.
ASEAN wants to issue a strong statement condemning the series of nuclear tests carried out by India and Pakistan earlier this year. On the eve of the talks, however, India launched another campaign to convince members to tone down the proposal.
"One or two ASEAN countries do not want to specifically mention India and Pakistan," said a high-ranking foreign affairs official.
In a switch from ASEAN's usual practice of refraining from naming countries, the text calls on India and Pakistan to resolve their dispute "through peaceful dialogue" and urges both nations to sign the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban treaty "without delay".
Baja said he has asked the Pakistani ambassador to the Philippines to be ready in case the ASEAN foreign ministers agree to a proposal from Japan for Pakistan's presence. Pakistan is not a dialog partner.
The idea of "agreeing to disagree" has touched off so much rancor the proposal may not even make it to the formal agenda, said sources close to the talks.
While the Philippines and Thailand maintain ASEAN is mature enough to abolish its so-called non-interference policy, Myanmar and Indonesia fiercely oppose any change weakening the taboo on intervention and interference in each other's affairs.